RS 8 Aging and the Life Course o Transition from wanting to not wanting children occurs in stages:
1) Postponing child-bearing for a definite time
Childlessness and Socio-Economic Characteristics: What Does the Canadian 2) Postponement for an indefinite time
2006 General Social Survey Tell Us? 3) Period of deliberation of the pros & cons of parenthood
o Increase in Levels of Childlessness 4) Acceptance of permanent childlessness
~22% of Canadian women born at the beginning of 20 C were childless Schooling and work impose structural constraints on family life
o Many in childbearing years during the great depression o The level of restriction placed on individuals options by their social
Childlessness: role or by their lack of access to social, cultural, economic, or
o Decreased to lower than 15% among women who gave birth in the political resources
baby boom years (1946-1966) o Changes for young men over 1981-2001 have been less positive:
o Started to increase for women born in 1952-56 Both the proportion of men working full time and the earning
o Continued to increase in subsequent cohorts, with the childlessness levels of those employed declined
of women born in the early 1960s approaching 20% Wages of newly hired employees have fallen substantially
If trend continues, percentage of childlessness in younger cohorts (born in The proportion of new employees, male and female, hired for
1970s and up) may equal or surpass the level in the Great Depression temporary jobs increased from 1989-2004
o Trend is similar in other western countries Orientation toward work & family also influences childbearing decisions
The countries where, for women born at the end of the 1960s,
o Hakim categorizes women into:
the proportion who are childless is 20% or higher are: 1) Family Centred
Austria More likely to have children
Finland 2) Work Centred
England More likely to have fewer / no children
West Germany 3) Adaptive
Possibly soon Ireland and Netherlands o Data and Methods
o In contrast: Sample excluded residents of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and
Childlessness in Portugal is under 10% Nunavut and full-time residents of institutions
The US and Scandinavian countries (except Finland) have Data from women and men aged 30-49
levels closer to 15% o Life Course Constraints: The Waiting Game
Men and women dont necessarily have the same level of childlessness Intention to be childfree is low among young Canadians
o Data show the proportion of childless men is higher than women The 2006 GSS shows at age 30-34, only 7% women & 10% men intend
o Childlessness and Constrained Decision Making to be childfree
Childlessness can be seen as a result of decision-making processes that o 30% of women and 48% of men are actually childless
take place within constraints of the life course, structures and norms Many people become parents in their 30s
Young people give priority to 3 life goals: o 35-39: Proportion childless decreases: 19% women and 30% men
o Having satisfying work o Those intending to be childfree increases 11% women & 14% men
o Living in an enduring union Few manage to become parents in their 40s
o Having children o Age 40-44, 19% remain childless
These goals are largely placed in this order as priorities o Those intending to be childfree becomes 17% women & 18% men
Most young people do NOT make a direct decision to be childless At age 45-49, acceptance of permanent childlessness becomes evident:
o Childlessness results from a waiting game a series of o 17% women & 19% men are childless, 16% intend to be childfree
postponements of childbearing Family life course stages influence childlessness:o Married and formerly married have the lowest level o Affluent women are more likely to be childless and intend to be
Implies marriage remains a pre-condition for having kids childfree than are less-affluent women
o Higher proportion of childless women among the single and those in o Affluent men are more likely to have children and less likely to have
common-law unions the intention of remaining childfree than are less affluent men
In common-law: o Structural Constraints: Effects of Work Orientation or Work Status
Childlessness of women is more than 2X married women Men employed full time have the lowest level of childlessness and
Men have higher childlessness than married men intention to be childfree
** May be because: o 37% for 30-39
Common-law unions may be seen as less permanent o 19% for 40-49
Work-centred women have the highest proportion of those who are
Cohabiting couples may not hold the traditional family
values that are associated with having children childless and the highest proportion of those intending to have children
o Structural Constrains: Effects of Education and Personal Income among those aged 30-39 (24%)
Education and personal income can influence childlessness: For women, the proportion of those intending to remain childfree (13%) is
double that of women have a balanced work-family orientation (6%)
o 1) Postponement
Occurs due to the large time investments associated with At 40-49, the proportions of childless and intending to remain childfree
acquiring education and establishing careers are also highest among work-centred women
o 2) Affordability o Summary and Conclusion
Ability to provide financial resources required to raise children Only ~7-10% at age 30-34 explicitly state the intention to be childfree
o 3) Values The goal of having children is most commonly prioritized after the other
Those associated with various levels of education & income lifetime goals of having satisfying work and an enduring relationship
could mak
More
Less
