Big Five Personality Traits and Trajectories of Fertility Expectations Across the Reproductive Age Period

In recent decades, increased freedom of choice and advancements in fertility regulation have allowed individuals to follow different fertility paths. This greater autonomy provides room for personality traits to shape long-term fertility expectations, which in turn can be predictive of fertility outcomes. The present study investigates how Big Five personality traits are related to fertility expectations trajectories and outcomes.

We used a representative Dutch sample who was non-parents at the start of the study (N = 5231). We explored the development of fertility expectations (i.e., Do you think you will have children in the future?) across ages 18-49. We conducted joint latent class analyses.

Having a stable expectation to become a parent was the largest class. However, the majority deviated from this trajectory. The identified classes varied in their probability of becoming a parent or not. Men and women who had stable parenthood expectations scored higher on agreeableness and extraversion. Additionally, men scored higher on conscientiousness and openness, and lower on neuroticism compared to some of the other classes.

People show substantial variation in their fertility expectation trajectories across reproductive age. Especially in men, Big Five personality traits are related to fertility expectations trajectories.