TY - JOUR AU - Kuhnt, Anne-Kristin AU - Minkus, Lara AU - Buhr, Petra PY - 2021/04/12 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Uncertainty in fertility intentions from a life course perspective: Which life course markers matter? JF - Journal of Family Research JA - JFamRes VL - 33 IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - 10.20377/jfr-426 UR - https://ubp.uni-bamberg.de/jfr/index.php/jfr/article/view/426 SP - 184-208 AB - <p><strong>Objective:</strong> The aim of this study is to extend our knowledge about uncertainty in fertility intentions from a life course perspective. We want to find out if life course markers such as economic circumstances, relationship status, family size, and the so-called “biological clock” (getting older) influence uncertainty in fertility intentions. Uncertainty in fertility intentions is the state in which individuals are not sure whether they will have (more) children.</p><p><strong>Background:</strong> Determining what drives uncertainty in fertility intentions may lead to a better understanding of fertility decision-making and its outcomes.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> We use German panel data (German Family Panel, <em>pairfam</em>) for three birth cohorts (1971-73, 1981-83, 1991-93), and employ multinomial fixed-effects logit models as well as bivariate analyses based on waves 1 to 11.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Uncertainty in fertility intentions is volatile across an individual’s life course, serving as a transitional phase between certainly intending and not intending to have any (more) children. Approaching the end of the reproductive life span (getting older), separating from a partner, having two or more children, and, for men, subjective economic fears increase the odds of being uncertain.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> By showing that uncertainty in fertility intentions is a volatile concept and that relevant life course markers shape this volatility, we provide new insights into the process of fertility decision-making.</p> ER -