b07RN13 – The Challenges of Family Transitions in Times of Crisis

ESA 11th Conference: Crisis, Critique and Change

28-31 August 2013 | University of Turin | Italy

Waiting for better days... Couples’ negotiating the transition to the 2nd child

Vanessa CunhaDavid Cruz

University of Lisbon (ICS-UL)

b07RN13 – The Challenges of Family Transitions in Times of Crisis



The research project

Title The double postponement: men and women coping with childbearing intentions in their late 30s and early 40s

Timeline 2012-2014 (30 months)

Institutions ICS-Univ. Lisbon (host) & CIDEHUS-Univ. Évora (participant)

Team Vanessa Cunha (coord.), Lia Pappámikail, David Cruz | ICS-UL Maria Filomena Mendes, Rui Dias| CIDEHUS-UÉ

Consultants Carmen Leccardi | University Milan-BicoccaMaria Rita Testa | Vienna Institute of Demography

Funding FCT (PEst-OE/SADG/LA0013/2011)

Website http://duploadiamento.wordpress.com/

http://duploadiamento.wordpress.com/



Main Goal: Portray and enlighten 2 childbearing postponements transition to parenthood and transition to the 2nd child

1) Theoretical challengeBringing together 2 scientific backgrounds: sociology and demography

2) Analytical frameworkDeterminants and pathways that are engendering (each) postponement• Crisis and times of uncertainty for childbearing decisions: income loss, job

instability and precariousness, unemployment, retreat of policies and benefits• Cultural drifts regarding childbearing: new requisites (conjugal quality, equal

sharing, parental skills, childbearing rewards…); and childfree ideals3) Research design

Two methodological approaches • Extensive: demographic analysis of Census, micro data on childbirths, surveys • Comprehensive: 60 in-depth interviews with men and women aged 35 and

beyond, single or in a couple (both interviewed separately), childless or with one child



The research background

The reproductive trajectory of the birth cohort 1970-75

Data from the Survey «Family Trajectories and Social Networks» (2009/10)

Research Project Coord. by Karin Wall, 2008-2011, ICS-UL

Reconstitution of the life trajectories of three Portuguese generations:

1935-40, 1950-55, 1970-75



Mean number of childbirths at a given age and at the end of RT, by cohortSource: Survey «FTSN» – Portugal 2009/10

age 25 age 30 age 35 end RT0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

0.79

1.70

2.29

2.65

0.84

1.46

1.811.98

0.50

1.03

1.32

cohort 1935-40 cohort 1950-55 cohort 1970-75



Postponing the 1st child… childlessness at age 35, by cohort Source: Survey «FTSN» – Portugal 2009/10

1935-40 1950-55 1970-750%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

9%

12%

23%



Postponing the 2nd child… Time-span between the 1st and the 2nd child, by cohort(time-span above 5 years and mean number of years)

Source: Survey «FTSN» – Portugal 2009/10

1935-40 1950-55 1970-753

3.5

4

4.5

5

5.5

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

21%

28%

36%

3.77

4.25

4.93

> 5 years mean



COHORT 1970-75: Parity distribution (number of children) at age 35-40 Source: Survey «FTSN» – Portugal 2009/10

childless22%

1 child35%

2 children31%

3 + children13%



COHORT 1970-75: Late childbearing receptiveness (at age 35-40), by current parity Source: Survey «FTSN» – Portugal 2009/10

2 + children

1 child

childless

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

13%

46%

61%

76%

46%

13%

11%

8%

26%

Receptive Not Receptive DK



From 1 to 2: the difficult step? COHORT 1970-75: Reasons for postponing the transition to the 2nd child

Crisis and uncertain times for childbearing: economic load, insecurity and work & family

life balanceFinancial worries 78%High cost of education 76%Job instability 58%Lack of public support 57%Professional life too demanding 51%Lack of family support 47%Personal and family life ok, a child would disturb 24%

“New” conjugal and parental requisites for childbearing and childfree ideals

1st child still very young 44%Parenthood was not a goal in life 30%Partner’s opposition 19%Children disturb couple's intimacy 17%Lack of partner OR not the right partner 9%Problems in couple's relation 4%Parenthood not a very positive experience 4%Problems with 1st child (difficult, handicapped) 1%

Inner and childbearing postponement disadvantages: Psychological, biological, health

Fertility problems 14%Feel too old for childbearing 8%Uncomfortable with going through pregnancy/delivery (only women) 5%Health problems 3%



COHORT 1970-75: Disclosing the gender gapmale severe postponement and late childbearing higher receptiveness

Childlessness at age 35 Receptives (at age 35-40), by current parity

women

men

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

17%

30%

2 + children

1 child

childless

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

5%

43%

54%

22%

51%

66%



Couples’ negotiating the transition to the 2nd childMaria & Paulo: a case study



Maria & Paulo: both aged 35, married, a 5 year-old daughter

18 25 30 35 yrs. old

Transition to parenthood (30)

Beginning of professional life (17)

Entry into university (18)

Marriage (27)

Beginning current

relationship (25)

Professional experience (22)

Foundation of own business (32)

Return to full-time employment (31)

Leaving high education

18 25 30 35 yrs. old

End of previous relationship (24)

Cohabiting experience (21-22)



Negotiating the 1st child willingness vs. ambivalence

It was Paulo who raised the issue after we were married (…): “let’s have children”! We began to

talk frankly about it and we realized that I was not very open to the idea. He was more willing

to have children. Therefore, at some point we had to decide (…), because I was 29, going into

the 30s… it’s the ideal age to have the 1st child.(Maria)

Maria was always afraid of everything. For buying the house she said she was afraid (…). The

marriage, it was really a consequence… she didn’t talk about it, but I asked her to marry me

and she said yes. And having children, I was also the one who said it was time to have a child.

She didn’t think that way, but she said: “I trust you, let’s have a child”. There it is… taking a

position. I use to say that Maria makes all the decisions on a daily basis, while I make the

long-term decisions.(Paulo)



Requisites for childbearingmaternal calling, conjugal quality, (perceived) parental skills

I wasn´t like my daughter, who is with the dolls around all the time and calls them

children and has lots of children! I had colleagues and friends whose dream was to

have children, a boy and a girl and so on... I was never like that.

Paulo was what I conceive of as a person up to be the father of my children. For his

character, for his way of being, for the relationship we have. I thought that he

would be the ideal person… the ideal person to be the father of my child.(Maria)



Negotiating the 2nd child 2nd child = less conjugal (and parental) quality?

Obviously there will be less time for the couple’s relation (…). Laura can be

affected as well, isn’t it? Because, at this moment, she has all the attention

(…). When she was born, Maria was too much focused on the baby. One of

my worries is that if we have a second child, she will probably be very

engaged again. And I will stay aside. And I think that I will probably have

to compensate Laura with some [additional] affection.

(Paulo)



Negotiating the 2nd child (other) personal fulfillment vs. (own) family project

My idea always was to have 3 children. I come from a family of 3 (…). But here we go…

she is receptive, but she is not receptive. There is always a doubt. But at this

moment there is also the thesis. If she gets pregnant now, it would be like throwing

the work into the garbage (…). Having a child can’t castrate Maria. There is Maria’s

personal fulfillment (…). But time runs against us, because our capacity to conceive

is about to end. Women can have children until 40, some until 35, some others until

45… But it is in this stage that it can end.

When 2 people disagree in this kind of position, obviously it may cause some damage.

But things have to be faced. And there must be mutual respect.(Paulo)



Negotiating the 2nd child ambivalence, postponing for better days & childbearing pressure

Paulo already said to me: “Now this decision is more yours than mine (…). Now you

have to have the final word”.

It affects me the opinion of people that, at age 45, have only one child and wanted to

have 2, and that say they regret it and they should had have the 2nd (…). They all

say: “If you are waiting for better days, they won’t come. It will be worse and

worse”. And I end up thinking about what people say. If there is the will to give

Laura a brother, it should be as soon as possible.

(Maria)



Requisites for childbearing childbearing rewards, gender balance in family life

I’m afraid of having a restless child, the opposite of Laura, who would give us the sort

of problems that we wouldn’t be able to cope with, making things more difficult.

He doesn’t feel the need [to drive] and he hasn’t get realized realize yet the need of

having the driving license for his family. And he is also a bit indulgent, since he is

aware that taking the driving license, I’ll ask him to do certain things that he

doesn’t do in the present.

[For having other child] our family engine should be revised… (…) No way to have

another child without his driving license! I would be at the hospital giving birth and

who would take Laura to school? (Maria)



A difficult step gender imbalance, job instability and uncertainty in times of crisis

Rationally, I don’t know if it will be possible [to have the 2nd child]. There will have to

be a change in what I do [professionally], because although I love what I do, it’s not

a stable thing.

Thinking about Paulo, he is the main breadwinner, we are dependent on him and we

shouldn’t be. I think that a couple shouldn’t be dependent on one of the partners.

Both should contribute and it should be possible to survive if one fails. And that

doesn’t happen in our cause. If Paulo fails, I don’t know what will happen to us (…).

If with a child it would be difficult, with 2… my God! (…). The way things are

nowadays… This is horrible; it’s incredible how the crisis affects us in such a brutal

way!

(Maria)



TO CONCLUDE: A broad understanding of childbearing postponement and late childbearing intentions and decisions demands…

• Life course: life circumstances and events (unemployment, divorce…).

• Gender: men’s viewpoints and role; gender gap on fertility agenda. • Conjugal negotiation: imbalances in private and public sphere,

power relations, mutual influence.

• Social imbalance: uneven childbearing chances in Portuguese society reinforced by the deepening of the crisis (unemployment, public policy retreat…) and uncertainty.



Waiting for better days... Couples’ negotiating the transition to the 2nd child


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Documents

b07RN13 – The Challenges of Family Transitions in Times of Crisis