"The future is unstable": Exploring changing fertility intentions in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.The COVID-19 pandemic had little overall impact on UK respondents' fertility intentions by January 2021. Financial insecurity was the main driver for changes, with health and work-life shifts also cited.
Area Of Science
- Reproductive Health
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global health and societal norms.
- Early pandemic research suggested a potential shift towards anti-natal intentions due to uncertainty.
- Understanding long-term reproductive decision-making changes is crucial for public health planning.
Purpose Of The Study
- To assess changes in reproductive decision-making among UK respondents post-COVID-19.
- To identify factors influencing these changes in fertility intentions.
Main Methods
- Cross-sectional online survey conducted in January 2021 with 789 UK participants.
- Quantitative analysis of changes in fertility intentions and life aspects.
- Thematic analysis of open-ended responses detailing pandemic's influence on reproductive choices.
Main Results
- Nine percent of respondents reported altered fertility intentions.
- Overall changes were minimal, with slight increases in both pro-natal and anti-natal intentions.
- Increased financial insecurity was the sole predictor of intention changes; health concerns and work-life priorities were also cited.
Conclusions
- Unlike early pandemic studies, this research found little overall change in fertility intentions by January 2021.
- Findings align with minimal changes observed in UK birth rate data for 2021.
- Reproductive decisions showed resilience, with financial insecurity being a key influencing factor.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
Related Concept Videos
Life tables are versatile across various fields, providing a quantitative basis for analyzing mortality and survival rates. Whether used by demographers, actuaries, epidemiologists, or sociologists, life tables offer valuable insights into the dynamics of life and death, facilitating informed decisions in public health, insurance, conservation, and beyond. Their broad applicability highlights the interconnectedness of demographic data with practical outcomes in everyday life and strategic...
Female infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after a year of regular, unprotected intercourse and affects about 10–15% of couples worldwide. The primary cause of female infertility is ovulatory disorders, which hinder the release of eggs. These disorders can be classified as hypothalamic amenorrhea, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian failure, and hyperprolactinemic anovulation disorders.
Endometriosis, a condition characterized by abnormal growth of...
Vasectomy is a surgical form of male sterilization that involves severing and sealing the vasa deferentia, preventing sperm from mixing with semen during ejaculation. Because a vasectomy does not impact the testes' ability to produce testosterone, hormone levels, libido, and sexual function generally remain unchanged. While vasectomy is highly effective in preventing pregnancy, with a success rate near 99.85%, rare cases of recanalization (spontaneous reconnection) can occur. Although...
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
Conservation efforts often utilize scientific approaches to identify the reasons, or the agents, causing the population to decline. This approach then devises steps to remove, oppose, or neutralize the agents.
Conservation efforts may also introduce a test group to determine the probable cause of the decline. The...
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...