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  • Title: Determinants of child-bearing intentions of low-income women: attitudes versus life circumstances.
    Author: Radecki SE, Beckman LJ.
    Journal: J Biosoc Sci; 1992 Apr; 24(2):157-66. PubMed ID: 1583030.
    Abstract:
    Surveys of low-income women in Los Angeles County in 1985 and 1986 were used to examine the relative impact of child-bearing motivations versus life circumstances on the intention to have a(nother) child. Future child-bearing intentions are strongly related to current parity level regardless of marital status, race/ethnicity or economic status. Psychological motivating factors predict child-bearing intentions of nulliparous women, but not those of parous women. Multivariate analyses showed that motivation for parenthood and life circumstances combined predicted women's child-bearing intentions 88.6% of the time for nulliparous women, but 73.7% for parous women. These findings suggest that, in a low-income population, the onset of parenthood reduces the relationship between specific motivations for child-bearing and actual child-bearing intentions, and diminishes the ability to predict child-bearing intentions based on both attitudinal and social/structural factors. Fertility-related motivation among low income females in Los Angeles County, California in 1985 and 1986 was measured. The sample included women 18-44 years and those 18 years if married or cohabiting, and was stratified by ethnicity (white, black, and Hispanic) and poverty level (below poverty level, 100-149% above poverty level, and 150% above poverty level) according to family size and income level. There was equal distribution among groups. 454 respondents in 1985 were required to have visited a family planning (FP) clinic within the preceding 3-year period. 464 respondents in 1986 were nonusers of formal FP services. Interviews surveyed respondent's pregnancy history, future childbearing intentions, use of contraception, other fertility-related questions, and family and demographic characteristics. The results indicate that there are significant age differences between the nulliparous and parous groups. Informally married or cohabiting, for nulliparous women, for white women, and for those 150% above the poverty level had the highest number of intended children. When adjusted by age, the findings become insignificant. Control variables do not affect the differences found between nulliparous and parity 4+ women. When parity is controlled, additional childbearing for white vs, black and Hispanic respondents is no longer significant. Correlations between the number of additional children intended and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of childbearing, by parity, show that 9 of the advantage statements and 9 of the disadvantage statements predicted at least with 5% of the variance the intentions to bear or not to bear children. For parous women, only 3 advantage statements and 1 disadvantage statement are related to future childbearing intentions. Nulliparous women find advantages in fulfillment and challenge, and disadvantages in limits to freedom and privacy and time. Parous women's advantages are the sex of the child and husband's wishes, and disadvantages of having enough children. Stepwise regressions to assess the relative contribution of attitudinal variables vs, social/structural variables show that the ideal number of children predicts intentions of parous women only after the 1st child. Perceived advantages decrease for parous women only. Women's age and Catholic religion have negative effects on intended childbearing for nulliparous women. Educational attainment and being married are positively correlated with intentions for nulliparous women. Motivational predictors are related more to the intent ion for the 1st child and not desired family size. 75% of parous women's fertility intentions were predicted with the same variables predicting 90% of nulliparous women's intentions. For economically disadvantaged women, subsequent childbearing is less predictable and less associated with social/structural factors.
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