Capabilities and Childbearing Intentions in Europe

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the association between economic uncertainties, work–family reconciliation policies and women's short-term childbearing intentions in 10 European countries. I introduce the capability approach to this issue and argue that short-term childbearing intentions are an indicator of women's capabilities to start a family or to have additional children. Using data from the European Social Survey, the analysis reveals that the association between economic uncertainties and short-term childbearing intentions varies by the number of children already born, education and institutional contexts. In some countries, having a job have a positive impact on childless women's short-term intentions, while in other countries, low educated childless women out of the labour market are those most likely to intend to have a child in the near future. Other aspects of economic uncertainties, namely perceived job and income insecurity, have a negative impact on short-term childbearing intentions, regardless of motherhood status. The analysis also shows that the combination of weaker institutional support for work–family reconciliation, perceived job and income insecurity and low educational skills are associated with lower childbearing intentions, and the pattern across the 10 countries is slightly stronger for childless women. This study underscores the importance of embedding individual decision processes in a broader societal context.

Key words:

• childbearing intentions
• capability approach
• economic uncertainties
• reconciliation policies

Acknowledgement

I am grateful for comments and suggestions from Barbara Hobson and Livia Sz. Oláh. I also thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticism.

Notes

¹ The Eurobarometer 65.1 conducted in 2006 reveals that 4% of women aged 15–39 within EU25 wants to remain childless (Testa 2006).

² TFR figures are obtained from Eurostat (2010). The year is selected to correspond to the survey year of the European Social Survey used in the analysis.

³ Childcare for children older than three has been excluded since the majority in this group are enrolled in all ten countries, making this indicator less significant.

⁴ Since 2004 Germany have introduced 12 months of income related benefits at a 67% replacement level, extended to 14 months if the father takes at least two months. In The Netherlands length of the leave has increased to approximately 26 weeks. Paternity leave has been introduced in the UK (2 weeks) and Poland (1 week), increased to 15 days in Spain and the bonus days in Finland has increased to 28 days (Moss 2010).

⁵ The lower maternal employment rate in Finland is related to flat-rate childcare leave entitlements, which can be taken from the end of the parental leave until the child's third birthday (Moss and O'Brian 2006).

⁶ Weights are used in the regression analysis to correct for differences in the sample design (ESS 2010).

⁷ Data limitation does not allow for detecting women on parental leave. Women who state that they are both in paid work and at home are classified as paid workers.

⁸ The question was only asked to employed women. All other women therefore combined in a category ‘else’ to avoid a reduction of the subsample.

⁹ The probabilities are derived from the coefficients in the logistic regression. Formula to calculate probabilities: P =exp(a + b(var1)+b(var2)+b(var3)+…)/1+exp(a + b(var1)+b(var2)+b(var3)+…), where a denotes the intercept and b the coefficient value.

¹⁰ Each indicator is transformed into z-scores, denoting standard deviations from the mean.

¹¹ Relative risks equal the ratio of the estimated probabilities (see footnote 10) of two different groups.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susanne Fahlén

Susanne Fahlén holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the Department of Sociology, Stockholm University. Her research focuses on gender and social politics in a European perspective with a special focus on parental work–life balance, childbearing intentions and realised childbearing.