Quantifying the Role of Self-Declared Obstacles to Unachieved Fertility: Proposing A New Method

Area of Science:

• Demography
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Discrepancies between desired and actual fertility rates are a significant area of study.
• Understanding the factors influencing fertility decisions is crucial for population studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the fertility gap and its decomposition based on perceived barriers.
• To introduce an innovative method for quantifying the impact of removing fertility obstacles on the total fertility rate (TFR).

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel approach to quantify the impact of removing reported obstacles on TFR.
• Defined the fertility gap as the difference between desired and actual fertility outcomes.
• Proposed a cause-deleted analysis for fertility, analogous to mortality research.

Main Results:

• The proposed method offers an alternative perspective on desired versus observed fertility.
• Results provide insights into the relative importance of various reported obstacles to fertility.
• The sum of the fertility gap and observed fertility estimates the obstacle-removed TFR.

Conclusions:

• This approach provides a new way to analyze fertility determinants.
• It highlights the significance of perceived barriers in understanding fertility outcomes.
• The method offers valuable insights for fertility policy and research.