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Uncertainty in fertility intentions in Britain, 1979-2007

Uncertainty in fertility intentions in Britain, 1979-2007
Uncertainty in fertility intentions in Britain, 1979-2007
The paper uses a time series of repeated rounds of the General Household Survey in Great Britain to study uncertainty in fertility intentions. We show that a substantial minority of women are uncertain in their expectations about future childbearing. A comparison of reported uncertainty in GHS rounds 1979-1990 with 1991-2007 reveals that the estimated level of uncertainty is influenced by question format. At the individual level, uncertainty varies largely with demographic status and life stage-age, partnership status, parity and time since previous birth. Evidence from qualitative and quantitative studies, particularly in relation to pregnancy intentions, reinforces the reality of uncertainty about reproductive prospects. We suggest that the measurement of fertility intentions needs improvement. A new theoretical approach of fertility intentions is outlined in brief
1728-4414
99-129
Ní Bhrolcháin, Máire
c9648b58-880e-4296-a173-7241449e0078
Beaujouan, Éva
40b09ca2-8f57-4066-908f-018a8e6af93c
Ní Bhrolcháin, Máire
c9648b58-880e-4296-a173-7241449e0078
Beaujouan, Éva
40b09ca2-8f57-4066-908f-018a8e6af93c

Ní Bhrolcháin, Máire and Beaujouan, Éva (2012) Uncertainty in fertility intentions in Britain, 1979-2007. Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, 99-129. (doi:10.1553/populationyearbook2011s99).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The paper uses a time series of repeated rounds of the General Household Survey in Great Britain to study uncertainty in fertility intentions. We show that a substantial minority of women are uncertain in their expectations about future childbearing. A comparison of reported uncertainty in GHS rounds 1979-1990 with 1991-2007 reveals that the estimated level of uncertainty is influenced by question format. At the individual level, uncertainty varies largely with demographic status and life stage-age, partnership status, parity and time since previous birth. Evidence from qualitative and quantitative studies, particularly in relation to pregnancy intentions, reinforces the reality of uncertainty about reproductive prospects. We suggest that the measurement of fertility intentions needs improvement. A new theoretical approach of fertility intentions is outlined in brief

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Published date: February 2012

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 194003
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/194003
ISSN: 1728-4414
PURE UUID: 80b300fa-9bdc-4ae7-a54c-ff090ca282c1

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Date deposited: 22 Jul 2011 10:58
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 03:57

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Contributors

Author: Máire Ní Bhrolcháin
Author: Éva Beaujouan

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