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Gender equality and fertility intentions revisited

Author

Listed:
  • Anneli Miettinen

    (Kansaneläkelaitos (Kela))

  • Anna Rotkirch

    (Family Federation of Finland)

  • Stuart Gietel-Basten

    (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

Stimulated by the recent debate on gender roles and men’s fertility behaviour (Puur et al. 2008; Westoff and Higgins 2009; Goldscheider, Oláh and Puur 2010), we present evidence from Finland as a country well into the second phase of the so-called gender revolution. We examine how gender role attitudes relate to childbearing intentions at the onset of family life, intentions to have many (3 or more) children, and high personal fertility ideals among low-parity men and women. Gender equality attitudes are measured for both the public and the domestic sphere and the influence of work and family orientation is controlled for. Finding signs of a U-shaped association among men, we conclude that both traditional and egalitarian attitudes raise men’s expected fertility compared to men with intermediate gender attitudes and independently of family values. Among Finnish women the impact of gender attitudes is smaller and more ambiguous.

Suggested Citation

  • Anneli Miettinen & Anna Rotkirch & Stuart Gietel-Basten, 2011. "Gender equality and fertility intentions revisited," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 24(20), pages 469-496.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:24:y:2011:i:20
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2011.24.20
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mikko Myrskylä & Hans-Peter Kohler & Francesco C. Billari, 2009. "Advances in development reverse fertility declines," Nature, Nature, vol. 460(7256), pages 741-743, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lars Dommermuth & Bryndl Hohmann-Marriott & Trude Lappegård, 2013. "Gender equality in the family and childbearing," Discussion Papers 759, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    2. Hanna Vseviov & Allan Puur & Mark Gortfelder, 2023. "Fertility Intentions and Sexual Orientation: Evidence from the 2020 Youth Survey in Estonia," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(2), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Frances Goldscheider & Eva Bernhardt & Maria Brandén, 2013. "Domestic gender equality and childbearing in Sweden," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(40), pages 1097-1126.
    4. Thaís García-Pereiro & Letizia Mencarini & Raffaella Patimo & Maria Letizia Tanturri, 2025. "Women's Domestic Burden and Gendered Fertility Intentions in Italy: The Role of Parity and Child's Sex," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 41(1), pages 1-41, December.
    5. Victor Agadjanian & Lesia Nedoluzhko, 2022. "Group Normative Propensities, Societal Positioning, and Childbearing: Ethno-linguistic Variation in Completed and Desired Fertility in Transitional Central Asia," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(4), pages 1571-1596, August.
    6. Arnstein Aassve & Giulia Fuochi & Letizia Mencarini & Daria Mendola, 2015. "What is your couple type? Gender ideology, housework sharing, and babies," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(30), pages 835-858.
    7. repec:dem:wpaper:wp-2024-004 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Barbara S. Okun & Liat Raz‐Yurovich, 2019. "Housework, Gender Role Attitudes, and Couples' Fertility Intentions: Reconsidering Men's Roles in Gender Theories of Family Change," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 45(1), pages 169-196, March.
    9. Antti O. Tanskanen & Anna Rotkirch, 2014. "The impact of grandparental investment on mothers’ fertility intentions in four European countries," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 31(1), pages 1-26.
    10. Lara Lebedinski & Cristiano Perugini & Marko Vladisavljević, 2023. "Child penalty in Russia: evidence from an event study," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 173-215, March.
    11. Gerda Neyer & Trude Lappegård & Daniele Vignoli, 2013. "Gender Equality and Fertility: Which Equality Matters?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 29(3), pages 245-272, August.
    12. Julia Hellstrand & Jessica Nisén & Mikko Myrskylä, 2019. "All-time low period fertility in Finland: drivers, tempo effects, and cohort implications," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2019-006, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    13. Juhua Yang, 2017. "Gendered division of domestic work and willingness to have more children in China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(62), pages 1949-1974.
    14. Youngcho Lee, 2022. "Is Leave for Fathers Pronatalist? A Mixed-Methods Study of the Impact of Fathers’ Uptake of Parental Leave on Couples’ Childbearing Intentions in South Korea," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(4), pages 1471-1500, August.
    15. Zhiyun Li & Hualei Yang & Xianchen Zhu & Lin Xie, 2021. "A Multilevel Study of the Impact of Egalitarian Attitudes Toward Gender Roles on Fertility Desires in China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(4), pages 747-769, August.
    16. Maria Gabriella Campolo & Antonino Di Pino & Ester Lucia Rizzi, 2020. "The labour division of Italian couples after a birth: assessing the effect of unobserved heterogeneity," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 107-137, June.

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    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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