Petra Buhr, Johannes Huinink Childlessness and Family Formation Presentation for the Advisory Board of the pairfam-project, 2-3 July, Bremen.

Petra Buhr, Johannes Huinink

Childlessness and Family Formation

Presentation for the Advisory Board of the pairfam-project, 2-3 July, Bremen

Contents

• The Decision to Parenthood• Research Questions• Some Preliminary Results from the First Wave• Questions to the Advisory Board

The Decision to Parenthood

• Parenthood is one particular means of welfare production.• Parenthood is embedded in the individual life course.

Competition with other goals Substitution by other goals Interdependence with other life events

• Parenthood has to be analyzed in a multi-level perspective opportunity structure individual resources individual dispositions

Research Questions - 1

Wish for Children• a lot of research, but few panel studies• different concepts • ideal vs. realistic wish for children

stability over the life course factors, events which may induce

change stopping

Research Questions - 2

Timing of decision to parenthood in life course• anticipation of consequences for other life goals• preconditions, e. g. biographical certainty• lowering of aspiration level if parenthood becomes

more urgent?• values and attitudes selection and adaptation• transition to second child, e. g. experience with

parental role

Research Questions - 3

Childlessness• Qualitative research has identified three types

„early articulators“ „postponers“ involuntary childlessness due to infertility

• reasons for early decision against children• childlessness vs. late motherhood• voluntary involuntary childlessness• use of reproductive medicine

Research Questions - 4

Family formation in the context of partnership• lack of dyadic studies• partnership as determinant of wish for children and

family formation• interdependence of orientations of both partners• agreement/disagreement• relative influence of each partner

Research Questions - 5

Influence of social networks• relative influence of different persons• different kinds of influence

norms resources social learning

Research Questions - 6

Institutional determinants of family formation and regional differences

• perception of societal conditions and family policy

• influence of different opportunity structures and family policy on decision to parenthood

• (cultural) causes of regional differences in family formation

Some preliminary results

• Number of Children by Cohort

• Wish for Children

• Ideal Family Size and Number of Children by Educational Level

• Ideal Family Size and Expected Number of Children in the Subgroup of respondents without Children

Number of Children by Cohort

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Cohort 1 Cohort 2 Cohort 3 Total

No children

1 Child

2 Children

3 and more children

Ideal Family Size and Expected Number of Children

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

No children

1 Child

2 Children3 Children

4 Children and more

UncertainDon't knowNo children

1 Child

2 Children3 Children

4 Children and more

UncertainDont' t know

All Respondents Without Children

Ideal Family Size

Expected Number of Children

Ideal Family Size and Number of Children by Level of Education and Cohort

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

low/Hauptschulemiddle/Realschule

high/Gymnasiumwithout university

University

low/Hauptschulemiddle/Realschule

high/Gymnasiumwithout university

University

Cohort 2 Cohort 3

Mean

Ideal Family Size

Number of Children

Ideal Family Size and Expected Number of Children - Respondents without Children

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

Cohort 1 Cohort 2 Cohort 3

Mean

Ideal Family Size

Realistically Expected Numberof Children

Ideal Family Size and Expected Number of Children by Sex - Respondents without Children, Cohort 3

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

Male Female

Mean

Ideal Family Size

Realistically Expected Numberof Children

Questions to the Advisory Board

• Did we miss something in building our instruments?

• How to measure the wish for children• How to measure the influence of the institutional

framework?• Developmental control (flexibility, tenaciousness)• Quality of Children