Volume 24 - Article 20 | Pages 469–496  

Gender equality and fertility intentions revisited: Evidence from Finland

By Anneli Miettinen, Stuart Gietel-Basten, Anna Rotkirch

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.

Author’s Affiliation

• Anneli Miettinen - Kansaneläkelaitos (Kela), Finland EMAIL
• Stuart Gietel-Basten - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong EMAIL
• Anna Rotkirch - Family Federation of Finland, Finland EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Certainty of meeting fertility intentions declines in Europe during the 'Great Recession'
Volume 31 - Article 23

The impact of grandparental investment on mothers’ fertility intentions in four European countries
Volume 31 - Article 1

Modelling the constraints on consanguineous marriage when fertility declines
Volume 30 - Article 9

Very long range global population scenarios to 2300 and the implications of sustained low fertility
Volume 28 - Article 39

Does his paycheck also matter?: The socioeconomic resources of co-residential partners and entry into parenthood in Finland
Volume 28 - Article 31

Similar articles in Demographic Research

Educational differences in fertility recuperation: The role of partnership trajectories in Spain
Volume 54 - Article 38    | Keywords: births, fertility, partnership trajectories, recuperation, recuperation of births, Spain

Economic resources and parity among US women: A conjoint experiment on preferred family scenarios
Volume 54 - Article 34    | Keywords: conjoint analysis, economic resources, experiments, family, fertility

Partnership life courses and completed fertility in Spain
Volume 54 - Article 29    | Keywords: feature selection, fertility, life course, partnership trajectories, Spain

Winter life expectancy reduction in Europe
Volume 54 - Article 26    | Keywords: Europe, excess winter deaths, excess winter mortality paradox, life expectancy, mortality, summer, weekly mortality data, winter

Economic insecurity and material deprivation: Coping strategies among couple families with and without small children in Europe
Volume 54 - Article 25    | Keywords: added worker effect, buffer, earnings loss, economic insecurity, Europe, female employment, material deprivation, resilience