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Trajectories of Unintended Fertility

Author

Listed:
  • Sowmya Rajan

    (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

  • S. Philip Morgan

    (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

  • Kathleen Mullan Harris

    (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

  • David Guilkey

    (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

  • Sarah R. Hayford

    (The Ohio State University)

  • Karen Benjamin Guzzo

    (Bowling Green State University)

Abstract

Having an unintended birth is strongly associated with the likelihood of having later unintended births. We use detailed longitudinal data from the Add Health Study (N = 8300) to investigate whether a host of measured sociodemographic, personality, and psychosocial characteristics select women into this “trajectory” of unintended childbearing. While some measured characteristics and aspects of the unfolding life course are related to unintended childbearing, explicitly modeling these effects does not greatly attenuate the association of an unintended birth with a subsequent one. Next, we statistically control for unmeasured time-invariant covariates that affect all birth intervals, and again find that the association of an unintended birth with subsequent ones remains strong. This persistent, strong association may be the direct result of experiencing an earlier unintended birth. We propose several mechanisms that might explain this strong association.

Suggested Citation

  • Sowmya Rajan & S. Philip Morgan & Kathleen Mullan Harris & David Guilkey & Sarah R. Hayford & Karen Benjamin Guzzo, 2017. "Trajectories of Unintended Fertility," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(6), pages 903-928, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:36:y:2017:i:6:d:10.1007_s11113-017-9443-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-017-9443-3
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