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Couple disagreement about short-term fertility desires in Austria: Effects on intentions and contraceptive behaviour

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  • Maria Rita Testa

    (Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali "Guido Carli")

Abstract

Background: Because of the dyadic nature of reproduction, the couple is the most suitable context for studying reproductive decision-making. Objective: I investigate the effects of couple disagreement about short-term childbearing desires on the formulation and implementation of fertility intentions. Do men and women incorporate the perception of a disagreement with the partner about wanting a(nother) child now in their reports on short-term fertility intentions and contraceptive behaviour? Are there relevant differences by type of disagreement, parity, gender and gender equality within the couple? Methods: Using individual-level data from the Austrian Generation and Gender Survey conducted in 2008, I regress respondent’s short-term fertility intentions (ordinal regression models) and non-use of contraception (logistic regression model) on couple’s short-term childbearing desires and a set of background variables. Results: The findings show that disagreement is shifted toward a pregnancy intention\pregnancy- seeking behaviour at parity zero and toward avoiding pregnancy and maintaining contraceptive use at higher parities. Childless women are less responsive to the perception of their partner’s desires than childless men when they express their short-term childbearing intentions. Neither women nor men are likely to stop contraception if they perceive a disagreement with their partner about wanting a(nother) child. Moreover, if the man is actively involved in childcare duties the chance to resolve the couple conflict in favour of childbearing increases. Conclusions: This paper calls for the collection of data from both members of each couple so that the analysis of the partner’s actual desires can complement the analysis of the partner’s perceived desires.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Rita Testa, 2012. "Couple disagreement about short-term fertility desires in Austria: Effects on intentions and contraceptive behaviour," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 26(3), pages 63-98.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:26:y:2012:i:3
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2012.26.3
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    1. Isabella Buber-Ennser & Ralina Panova & Jürgen Dorbritz, 2013. "Fertility Intentions Of University Graduates," Demográfia English Edition, Hungarian Demographic Research Institute, vol. 56(5), pages 5-34.
    2. Maria Rita Testa & Danilo Bolano, 2021. "When partners’ disagreement prevents childbearing: A couple-level analysis in Australia," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 44(33), pages 811-838.
    3. Anne-Kristin Kuhnt & Heike Trappe, 2013. "Easier said than done: childbearing intentions and their realization in a short term perspective," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2013-018, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    4. Shuang Chen, 2022. "The Positive Effect of Women’s Education on Fertility in Low-Fertility China," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(1), pages 125-161, March.
    5. Passet-Wittig, Jasmin & Greil, Arthur L., 2021. "Factors associated with medical help-seeking for infertility in developed countries: A narrative review of recent literature," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    6. Gerda Neyer & Trude Lappegård & Daniele Vignoli, 2013. "Gender Equality and Fertility: Which Equality Matters?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 29(3), pages 245-272, August.
    7. Zuzanna Brzozowska & Isabella Buber-Ennser & Bernhard Riederer & Michaela Potancokova, 2018. "Didn’t plan one but got one: unintended and sooner-than-intended births among men and women in six European countries," VID Working Papers 1805, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    contraceptive use; fertility decision-making; couple decision-making; childbearing decisions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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