The Influence of Marital Quality on the Realization of Fertility Intentions

• In Event: 054 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Fertility and Sexuality

Abstract

This study aims to identify factors that influence the realization of fertility intentions, with a particular interest in the role of marital quality. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of marital quality on other outcomes, the literature has paid little attention to the influence of marital quality on fertility. Drawing on a multidimensional approach to marital quality, four dimensions are used to measure this concept. Three questions about fertility intentions and behavior were used to classify the patterns of realizing one’s fertility intentions, and five groups were identified. Multinomial logistic regression was performed by using two waves of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families (KLoWF) in South Korea. Findings indicate that marital happiness, negative interaction with one’s husband, and proneness to separation influence the realization of married women’s fertility intentions in different ways. Parity also plays a significant role in the realization of fertility intentions.

Author

• Soo-Yeon Yoon, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign