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Educational differences in fertility desires, intentions and behaviour: A life course perspective
Ann Berrington1, Serena Pattaro1
1ESRC Centre for Population Change, University of Southampton, UK.
Advances in Life Course Research
|June 7, 2015
Summary
Educational attainment influences fertility intentions and outcomes. While adolescent family size preferences are shaped by background and ability, young adults show no clear gradient in intended family size, but education negatively impacts achieving births, especially for women.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Demography
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- The relationship between education and fertility is well-established, but the formation and life-course translation of educational differences in fertility intentions remain less understood.
- Existing research often overlooks the developmental pathways from early aspirations to achieved fertility outcomes.
- Miller's Traits-Desires-Intentions-Behaviour framework offers a model to explore these complex relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how parental aspirations, childhood educational ability, and young adult educational attainment influence fertility desires and intentions across the life course.
- To examine educational gradients in the achievement of fertility intentions by age 46.
- To identify mediating factors, such as employment and partnership behavior, in the education-fertility relationship.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from a large-scale cohort study.
- Applied Miller's Traits-Desires-Intentions-Behaviour framework.
- Analyzed relationships between educational factors (aspirations, ability, attainment) and fertility outcomes (desires, intentions, achieved births).
Main Results:
- Adolescent family-building preferences, particularly timing of parenthood, are significantly shaped by parental socio-economic background, mediated by educational ability and parental expectations.
- No consistent educational gradient in intended family size was observed in young adulthood.
- A notable negative educational gradient exists in the likelihood of achieving intended births by age 46, particularly pronounced among women.
Conclusions:
- Early fertility preferences are influenced by socio-economic background and educational trajectories.
- Educational attainment plays a critical role in the realization of fertility intentions, with disparities emerging in later life.
- Employment and partnership behaviors are key mediators in the educational differences observed in fertility achievement.
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