When Women Move Left: How Gender Realignment Affects European Fertility

• In Event: 40861 - Section on Sociology of Population Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 6: Policy Change, Gender, and Reproductive Health

Abstract

Western countries have been experiencing gender differences in voting over the past decades, with women being more liberal than men. Drawing on data from the European Social Survey and the World Development Indicators, this study investigates how gender differences in political orientation and women’s leftward political shift affect total fertility rates in Europe during the past two decades. It is found that women’s increasing liberal orientation is significantly associated with lower TFR. This negative relationship is especially pronounced in contexts of heightened gender polarization, where men are significantly more conservative than women. These findings suggest the potential challenges of shifting political ideologies for fertility behaviors, even in societies with supportive economic and institutional environments.

Author

• Yiran Zhang, University of Maryland-College Park