Declining fertility rates in the United States have increased interest in the factors shaping young adults’ fertility intentions. Guided by a life course perspective, this study examined how individual characteristics, relationship orientations, and family-of-origin dynamics are associated with the preferences young adults have for their ideal number of children. Using survey data from 1,139 unmarried U.S. adults ages 18–30, multinomial logistic regression models compared preferences for no children, one child, or multiple children. Results indicated that sibling experiences were among the strongest predictors of fertility intentions. Relative to only children, individuals with one or multiple siblings were substantially more likely to prefer either childlessness or multiple children rather than a single child. Parental centrality also differentiated fertility preferences. Findings highlight the complex role of sibling experience and socialization in shaping contemporary fertility ideals including how these factors may contribute to polarized fertility intentions among young adults.
Aim of this paper is to investigate (i) whether working women are likely to experience more spousal violence; (ii) whether working women with higher education or husbands have a high level of education are less prone to spousal violence compared to women engaged in domestic activities only. To examine above mentioned hypotheses, we have used data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) in India. This study shows that women in nearly all occupations have a higher chance of facing spousal violence. Nevertheless, when working women possess a minimum of 12 years of schooling, or husbands possess at least 12 years of education, they have a lower probability of experiencing spousal violence compared to non-working women, irrespective of their job categories. Nonetheless, this beneficial effect of higher education disappears as we control the influence of other variables like the household’s wealth and place of residence.
National surveys conducted in 1988-2019 are used to examine trends in the association between spouses’ class positions. By applying log-linear and log-multiplicative models, we tested four hypotheses concerning (i) the openness of Poland’s class structure manifested in marital choices, (ii) changes in marital homogamy, (iii) changes in the permeability of class barriers, and (iv) the extent to which educational assortative mating mediates class-based marital selection. The analysis revealed that, in general, assortative mating has slightly decreased, and this trend was paralleled by a decline in homogamy, defined as marrying someone in the same social position. In line with our prediction, a substantial decline in homogamy took place in categories at the bottom and at the top of the social class ladder. With respect to permeability, the shape of distances between social classes remains mainly the same; however, partner selection became less constrained by spouses’ class position, which implies that the barriers to intermarriage are weaker. Moreover, educational resemblance between spouses partly accounts for class-based assortative mating, but it does not eliminate the independent role of class position in shaping marital choices. This article contributes to stratification research by providing updated evidence on the implications of assortative mating for social inequality.
We document the gender wealth gap among single individuals aged 50 or more, an age group where wealth differences might be particularly pronounced and relevant for economic well-being. We investigate to what extent differences in partnership histories can explain the gender gap in household wealth among singles in four countries using data from SHARE. Whereas we do not find a gender gap in wealth of singles in the Czech Republic, we find that single men live in wealthier households in Austria and Sweden than single women. In Spain, we observe a gender gap favoring women which is partly explained by the high rates of widowhood among single women as well as high home ownership rates. Our results underline the importance of understanding selection into singlehood for interpreting gender gaps in household wealth.
Cyclical increase in economic uncertainty and structural economic uncertainty seems to decrease fertility. This study analyzing the event history of an individual uses a sequence of events to address the question: Why do some individuals postpone to have children while others do not? The economic shock of sudden increased unemployment and changed fertility trends are studied in a large scale prospective longitudinal study (n=300,000) of individuals born 1980-85 followed through linked administrative records analyzed in discrete-time hazard regression. The experience of economic uncertainty is approximated from records of unemployment records. Economic uncertainty and social exclusion increase the individual risk of induced medical abortion, family dissolution, and postponing parenthood. Postponement of fertility is closely related to the expansion of education. The economic shock of sudden increased unemployment is found to decrease fertility rates. Labor market conditions characterized by temporary employment and social exclusion are decisive when decision about starting a family.
This study examines the associations between fathers' perceptions of maternal behaviors (specifically encouragement, discouragement, and control) and their self-reported involvement in childcare. Drawing from social cognition theory, we reframed maternal gatekeeping as a subjective interpretation influencing paternal engagement. Data from 546 fathers (M age = 38.8) with children aged 6-12 were analyzed using multiple regression. Results showed that fathers' perceptions accounted for 27.3% of the variance in involvement. Perceived maternal encouragement had the strongest positive association (), followed by perceived control (), while discouragement showed a modest negative association. Notably, 96.52% of fathers reported high involvement, challenging deficit narratives about Indonesian fatherhood. In this collectivist context, fathers may interpret maternal control as coordination rather than restriction. The findings emphasize centering fathers' voices in coparenting research and highlight the need for culturally sensitive interventions that recognize the nuanced role of maternal gatekeeping in shaping paternal engagement.
The social processes that shape women’s emotional responses to abortions are not well understood, including the role of religion. Using a nationally representative sample of women who have had abortions ( N = 1,217), we examine the relationships between religious service attendance, salience, and affiliation and negative and positive emotional responses to abortion. We find a higher importance of religious faith and conservative Protestant affiliation are strongly and significantly associated with higher probabilities of negative emotional responses and lower probabilities of positive emotional responses to abortion. These associations are reduced after accounting for women’s feelings about the rightness of their abortion decision at the time of abortion, suggesting these religious differences are attributable in part to moral incongruence. Our findings have important implications for understanding the prevalence and context of post-abortion emotional distress. Disproportionately negative emotional responses among certain religious women may lead religious groups and individuals to overestimate the prevalence of these responses.
The rise of voluntary childlessness among men represents an important shift in family formation, yet research in this area continues to focus primarily on women. Drawing on 20 semi-structured interviews with childless men from Santiago de Chile, this article explores the experiences of men who opted for permanent sterilization as a strategy to forgo fatherhood. The findings show that orientation towards autonomy, individualism, and hedonism, alongside the pursuit of personal passions and projects, are key factors in men’s decision to forgo fatherhood. At the same time, concerns about time poverty, prohibitive living costs, fears of failing as a parent, and an uncertain future also emerge as decisive issues in their decision. These insights advance current scholarship on voluntary male childlessness by highlighting that reasons for forgoing fatherhood span from personal motivations to social and structural pressures, reflecting emerging societal changes and challenges around family formation.
Fatherhood significantly influences psychological well-being and happiness, yet fathers particularly of young children are underrepresented in research. This study examines the relationship between happiness and psychological well-being in this group. This study aims to explore the relationship between happiness and psychological well-being among fathers of children in early childhood. A descriptive-correlational study was conducted with data collected online using validated self-report questionnaires on demographic characteristics, happiness, and psychological well-being from 257 participants. A statistically significant, strong, and positive relationship was found between happiness and psychological well-being (r = 0.626, p = 0.000). Regression analysis revealed that happiness explained 39.2% of the variance in psychological well-being and was a significant predictor (R-2 = 0.392). Each unit increase in psychological well-being was associated with a 0.794-unit increase in happiness (beta = 0.794; p < 0.05). Fathers' happiness is a key determinant of their psychological well-being and psychosocial interventions targeting fathers may enhance both paternal and child well-being.
Little is known about how parents of preschool-aged children engage in conversations around race and ethnicity, and their perceptions of how these conversations influence children's self-esteem. Parents (N = 16) of children ages 3-5 were interviewed for 30-60 min about their perspectives on how ethnic racial socialization contributes to their child's overall social-emotional development, including self-esteem. Most participants were women (n = 13; 81%), White (n = 9; 56%), followed by Black/African American (n = 6; 38%), with an average age of 36.06 years (SD = 6.14). Interviews were coded using a hybrid approach; first, deductively, in which pre-determined codes were identified using preexisting theory on self-esteem, and then inductively, using thematic analysis. Results revealed the following main themes: (1) Encouragement of racial pride, (2) Teaching about White privilege, (3) Providing a space for emotional resiliency, (4) Protecting against racial discrimination, and (5) Promoting social acceptance and inclusion. Themes differed for parents of children of color versus White children.
Marital satisfaction is essential for older adults' well-being. This cross-sectional study examined sociodemographic and psychological factors influencing marital satisfaction among 363 older adults in Semnan, Iran (mean age 65.42 +/- 5.24 years; 58.1% male; mean marriage duration 42.09 +/- 7.13 years). Data were collected in 2024 using the Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire for Older Persons, Brief Aging Perception Questionnaire, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Non-parametric tests were applied with significance set at p < .05. Mean scores for marital satisfaction, aging perception, and self-esteem were 99.85 +/- 17.09, 54.81 +/- 8.22, and 23.66 +/- 2.19, respectively. Men, retirees, and those with better health and economic status had significantly higher marital satisfaction. Monthly income and age correlated positively with all marital satisfaction dimensions, while a negative perception of aging correlated with lower satisfaction regarding the spouse's health. These findings highlight the interplay of sociodemographic and psychological factors in marital satisfaction, suggesting targeted interventions for older adults.
In the Malaysian society, the trend of singlehood is becoming more evident with increasing numbers of delayed marriages, non-marriages, and divorces. As marriage is regarded as a standard transition to adulthood, those who remain single are often perceived as social misfits and subjected to singlism. The research explores single professional women’s and men’s gendered experiences of singlehood and singlism as well as the strategies they use to negotiate singlism. Using qualitative in-depth interviews with 15 women and 15 men recruited through purposeful sampling, this research examines how these individuals perceive and experience their single status. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings show that singlehood is perceived positively by single people but negatively by the society. These negative social perceptions, in turn, influence the participants’ experiences of singlehood. The findings also reflect that single people adopt strategies that demonstrate high self-esteem to cope with singlehood and to negotiate singlism.
The current study examined associations between stepparent involvement in discipline and adolescent maladjustment, as well as factors that moderate these associations. Using survey data from 507 U.S. adolescents (ages 13-18) residing with a stepparent, we assessed links between stepparent discipline and two indicators of maladjustment: conduct problems and depressive symptoms. Regression analyses revealed that greater stepparent involvement in discipline was associated with higher levels of both conduct problems and depression. Tests of moderation indicated that these associations were most pronounced among adolescents identifying as non-Hispanic White and in families self-described as financially well off, and least pronounced among adolescents identifying as non-Hispanic Black or Asian. Longer stepparent-adolescent relationship duration also attenuated associations between stepparent discipline and adolescent depression. Findings underscore the importance of considering cultural and economic contexts, as well as relationship timing, when addressing stepparent involvement in discipline. Implications for family-focused practice and future research are discussed.
In recent years the construct of fatherlessness has been a well-researched topic. The topic has been heavily researched from the lens of the fathers themselves, the adults their children grow to be, and the sons that they have abandoned. Boyd (2018), noted that although there are several studies on the effects of absent fathers and their sons, the studies for the father daughter relationships are limited and more so for the African American father daughter relationship. In addition to examining the father daughter relationship, Dorsey & Buckley (2024) note that the role of the Black father or his absence, may inform the daughters social and emotional well-being as well as her life choices regarding mental health and well-being. Schafer (2020) also notes that a gap in research exists exploring the experiences of young African American females who have absent fathers throughout their formative years of life. In addition, it is relevant to note that the construct of resilience has not yet been studied in relation to fatherless African American adolescent girls. This study is needed because of the gap in literature combining the constructs of fatherlessness, resilience, and Black adolescent girls. There is also a need based on the underwhelming literature on Black adolescent girls. Objective: This study investigates the resilience experiences of African American adolescent girls who have or are currently navigating the construct of fatherlessness. This study focuses on how the participants perceive their resilience was built and the protective factors that contributed to the development. Method: For this study, an inductive, ground up approach was utilized. Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology was employed. CQR was selected as the design for this study due to the consensual process as well as the rigorous and consistent data collection and analysis used in the design (Hill, 2012). Following a thorough CQR training with the research team, participant reflections of their lived experiences were analyzed and then sorted into domains including Understanding of Absence, Finding Strength Despite Challenges, and Looking to the Future. Limitations of the study, as well as implications for practice and research are discussed.
The present study aimed to explore the relationship between psychological flexibility (PF), parental reflective functioning (PRF) and their independent associations with parental stress. PF is described as the process of noticing and accepting thoughts and feelings and continuing to act in line with one's values. While PRF involves: Pre-mentalising (PM), Certainty about mental states (CMS) and Interest and curiosity in mental states (IC). A total of 362 parent/carers of children aged 0-10 years old completed an online questionnaire. There were significant correlations with all aspects of PRF (higher PM, lower IC and lower CMS), and lower PF, with higher levels of parental stress. When considering covariates and both constructs in the regression model, PF and aspects of PRF (PM and CMS subscales) still independently predicted parental stress. Lastly, PF significantly correlated with all aspects of PRF (lower PM, higher CMS and IC). The results suggest that the constructs of PRF and PF, despite their overlap, appear to have partially independent associations with parental stress. Therefore, this study is tentatively supportive of a rationale for integrating both relevant theoretical models within parenting interventions, in order to provide additive benefit in alleviating parenting stress.
The transition to parenthood is often a challenging and stressful time for couples, with partners’ experiences possibly varying by gender and timing of childbirth. We surveyed married couples (two-phase n = 124 couples; roughly 45% Hispanic) within 6 months post-wedding and 2.5 years later to assess changes in marital disillusionment and satisfaction as a function of parenting statuses (children from premarital pregnancy, children from postmarital pregnancy, and no children during the study). Parenting couples (regardless of pregnancy timing and spouse gender) exhibited sharper rises in disillusionment from the newlywed phase to 2.5 years later than did consistently childless/childfree couples. These results were robust to controls for satisfaction, demographic characteristics, and couples’ dating and cohabitation histories. Controlling for dating and cohabitation history, an interaction emerged in which wives’ satisfaction remained stable over time, whereas husbands’ declined. Possible mechanisms for these effects and practical applications were discussed.
Within the framework of the work-family enrichment model, this study examined the actor and partner effects of work-family enrichment on marital satisfaction, as well as the mediating role of marital attachment. Using a two points longitudinal design with a 6-month interval, dyadic data were collected from 802 heterosexual couples. Firstly, the results of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model showed that wives' family-to-work enrichment (FWE) positively predicted their own marital satisfaction via actor effects and their husbands' via partner effects, while the effects of both wives' and husbands' work-to-family enrichment (WFE) were not significant. Furthermore, the results of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model revealed that wives' attachment avoidance mediated both the actor and partner effects of FWE on wives' marital satisfaction; husbands' attachment anxiety, husbands' attachment avoidance, and wives' attachment avoidance mediated the actor and partner effects of FWE on husbands' marital satisfaction. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the work-family enrichment model from the perspective of attachment theory, providing theoretical and empirical support for improving marital satisfaction.
Whilst important and shaped by economic pressures, children's subjective well-being (SWB) remains largely overlooked in low-income settings. This study examines: (i) whether economic shocks affect children's SWB through caregivers' well-being pathways, and (ii) differences in children's SWB in relation to their health, caregivers' education, and food insecurity. The study uses data from the younger cohort of the Young Lives longitudinal study, comprising 5,759 observations from 2006 to 2016, analysed using fixed-effects and structural equation models. Findings show that lower children's SWB is associated with poorer health, lower caregiver education and well-being, and higher food insecurity. Economic shocks - such as rising food prices and job or enterprise loss - negatively affect both caregiver and child SWB, with job loss exerting strong indirect effects through caregiver-child pathways. Thus, findings highlight the need to strengthen family support systems, reduce economic stress, and improve caregiver education, food security, and resilience to shocks.
Intensive parenting has become a dominant cultural framework shaping expectations of good parenting, yet research has largely centered on mothers. Guided by symbolic interactionism and identity theory, we explored fathers' meaning-making within intensive parenting standards. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 partnered fathers of preschool-aged children (ages 3-5). Reflexive thematic analysis revealed two central themes. First, fathers emphasized relational connection, framing emotional availability, presence, and repair as core components of fathering work. Second, fathers described responsibility for actively fostering development through enrichment and intentional exposure to challenge. Fathers reported sustained emotional and cognitive labor in child-centered, day-to-day parenting and tension between child-centered standards and personal wellbeing and romantic relationship maintenance. Findings indicate that intensive parenting standards increasingly shape paternal practices and identities and suggest a broadening of intensive parenting to include cultivation of children's social-emotional development and resilience. Implications for families are discussed.
This paper examines the family as a pivotal site in the production and reproduction of gender inequality. Tracing origins, continuation, and intergenerational transmission, it argues that household labour division and entrenched gender norms, which are rooted in biological determinist narratives, establish the initial asymmetry of roles. Contemporary dual-earner arrangements, while more common, often produce only superficial change: women continue to shoulder unpaid domestic and care work, generating a double burden. The essay locates the persistence of inequality in the dialectical relationship between patriarchy and economic dependence, drawing on Marxist and feminist frameworks (notably Mies) to show how unpaid domestic labour underpins capitalist reproduction and reinforces male dominance. Finally, it explores kinship structures and intersectional dimensions (class, race, and coloniality) and proposes queer kinship as a disruptive modality that can contest heteronormative inheritance of gendered labour. The study synthesises theory and empirical findings to offer conceptual and practical pathways towards substantive equality.
