Billari, F. C., Goisis, Alice, Liefbroer, A. C., Settersten, R. A., Aassve, A., Hagestad, G. and Speder, Z. (2011) Social age deadlines for the childbearing of women and men. Human Reproduction, 26 (3). pp. 616-622. ISSN 0268-1161
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
BACKGROUND This study examines whether social age deadlines exist for childbearing in women and men, how they vary across countries, whether they are lower than actual biological deadlines and whether they are associated with childbearing at later ages and the availability of assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs). METHODS This study is based on the European Social Survey, Round 3 (2006–2007), which covers 25 countries. Data were gathered on social age deadlines for childbearing in women (21 909 cases) and men (21 239 cases) from samples of representative community-dwelling populations aged 15 and older. RESULTS Social age deadlines for childbearing were perceived more frequently for women than men. These deadlines are often lower than actual biological limits, and for women and men alike: 57.2% of respondents perceived a maternal social age deadline ≤40 years of age; 46.2% of the respondents perceived a paternal social age deadline ≤45 years of age. There is also considerable variability in deadlines across countries, as well as within them. At the country level, the presence of social age deadlines for the childbearing of women was negatively associated with birth rates at advanced ages and the prevalence of ART, and later deadlines were positively associated with these factors. CONCLUSIONS It is important to understand the factors that increase and limit late fertility. While biological factors condition fertility, so do social expectations. These findings provide widespread evidence across Europe that social limits exist alongside biological ones, though both sets of factors are more binding for women.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/ |
| Additional Information: | © 2010 The Author |
| Divisions: | Social Policy Lifecourse, Ageing & Population Health |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Nov 2014 13:25 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Oct 2024 06:21 |
| Projects: | European Commission project REPRO (’Reproductive Decision-Making in a Macro-Micro Perspective’, Grant Agreement: SSH-2007-3.1.2- 217173), European Science Foundation project LIFETIMING (‘The Timing of Life: Understanding Cross-National Differences in the Organization of the Life Course in Europe’) |
| Funders: | European Commission (Framework Programme 7), European Science Foundation (Programme HumVIB), Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics, Bocconi University |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/60016 |
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