Life-course trajectories of childless women in Uruguay
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20947/S0102-3098a0115Keywords:
Fertility, Childlessness, UruguayAbstract
This paper aims to analyze Uruguayan women who end their reproductive life span without having children. In addition to quantifying the phenomenon, it seeks to answer the following questions: Which are their main socioeconomic traits? What are the typical trajectories that lead to childlessness? To what extent is it the outcome of unsatisfied reproductive aspirations and to what extent of the will to not have any children? We use a mixed methods approach integrating quantitative and qualitative data. Our results show that the proportion of childless women dropped from approximately 25% to 10% among those born in 1900-1960, and that the most recent data show an incipient increase. In addition, there is a higher proportion of childless
women among those with a high level of education. Finally, our typology of trajectories towards definitive childlessness confirms the diversity of paths and traits: although trajectories guided by the intention of not having children were identified, a significant number of women reach childlessness as an unintended consequence of the postponement of motherhood.
Downloads
References
ALBERTINI, M.; KOHLI, M. Childlessness and intergenerational transfers in later life. In: KREYENFELD, M.; KONIETZKA, D. (ed.). Childlessness in Europe: contexts, causes, and consequences. [S.l.]: Springer, Cham, 2017. p. 351-368.
ALBERTINI, M.; MENCARINI, L. Childlessness and support networks in later life: new pressures on familistic Welfare States? Journal of Family Issues, v. 35, n. 3, p. 331-357, 2014.
BALBO, N.; BILLARI, F. C.; MILLS, M. Fertility in advanced societies: a review of research. European Journal of Population, v. 29, n. 1, p. 1-38, 2013.
BASTEN, S. Voluntary childlessness and being Childfree: the future of human reproduction. [S.l.]: University of Oxford, Viena Institute of Demography, 2009. (Working Paper, n. 5). Disponível em: https://www.spi.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/PDF/Childlessness_-_Number_5.pdf. Acesso em: 13 ago. 2015.
BAUDIN, B. T.; CROIX, D. de; GOBBI, P. E. Fertility and childlessness in the United States. American Economic Review, v. 105, n. 6, p. 1852-1882, 2015.
BEAUJOUAN, E.; BRZOZOWSKA, Z.; ZEMAN, K. Childlessness trends in twentieth-century Europe: limited link to growing educational attainment. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Vienna Institute of Demography, 2015. (Vienna Institute of Demography Working Paper, n. 6). Disponível em: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/fileadmin/subsites/Institute/VID/PDF/Publications/Working_Papers/WP2015_06.pdf. Acesso em: 31 maio. 2019.
BEAUJOUAN, E.; BRZOZOWSKA, Z.; ZEMAN, K. The limited effect of increasing educational attainment on childlessness trends in twentieth-century Europe, women born 1916-65. Population Studies, v. 70, n. 3, p. 275-291, 21 ago. 2016.
BEAUJOUAN, E.; SOLAZ, A. Are family sizes of parents and children still related? Revisiting the cross-generational relationship over the last century. [S.l]: Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques (INED), 2016. (Documents de Travail, 223).
BEAUJOUAN et al. Declining realisation of reproductive intentions with age. Human Reproduction, v. 34, n. 10, p. 1906-1904, 2019.
BERRINGTON, A. Childlessness in the UK. In: KREYENFELD, M.; KONIETZKA, D. (ed.). Childlessness in Europe: contexts, causes, and consequences. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2017. p. 57-76. (Demographic Research Monographs).
BERRINGTON, A.; PATTARO, S. Educational differences in fertility desires, intentions and behaviour: a life course perspective. Advances in Life Course Research, v. 21, p. 10-27, Sep. 2014.
BINSTOCK, G.; CABELLA, W. Las mujeres que terminan su vida reproductiva sin hijos: evolución reciente en América Latina (1980-2010). In: XII CONGRESO DE LA ASOCIACIÓN DE DEMOGRAFÍA HISTÓRICA. Anais [...]. Porto: ADEH, 2019.
BUHR, P.; HUININK, J. Why childless men and women give up on having children. European Journal of Population, v. 33, n. 4, p. 585-606, 2017.
BUSETTA, A.; MENDOLA, D.; VIGNOLI, D. Persistent joblessness and fertility intentions. Demographic Research, v. 40, p. 185-218, Jan. 2019.
CABELLA, W.; NATHAN, M.; PARDO, I. La caída de la fecundidad en Uruguay entre 2015 y 2018. In: FONDO DE POBLACIÓN DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS; MINISTERIO DE SALUD PÚBLICA; UNIVERSIDAD DE LA REPÚBLICA. Descenso acelerado de la fecundidad en Uruguay entre 2015 y 2018: tres estudios para su análisis. Montevideo: UNFPA, MSP y Universidad de la República, 2019. p. 33-70.
CABELLA, W. Dissoluções e formação de novas uniões: uma análise demográfica das tendências recentes no Uruguai. Tese (Doutorado em Demografia) – Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, 2006.
CASTERLINE, J. B.; EL-ZEINI, L. O. The estimation of unwanted fertility. Demography, v. 44, n. 4, p. 729-745, 2007.
CAVENAGHI, S.; DINIZ ALVES, J. Childlessness in Brazil: socioeconomic and regional diversity. In: XXVII IUSSP INTERNATIONAL POPULATION CONFERENCE. Proceedings [...]. Busan, Republic of Korea: IUSSP, 2013. Disponível em: http://iussp.org/sites/default/files/event_call_for_papers/ChildlessNessBrazil_Final.pdf.
CRAIG, B. M. et al. A generation of childless women: lessons from the United States. Women’s Health Issues, v. 24, n. 1, p. e21-e27, 2014.
ESPING-ANDERSEN, G.; BILLARI, F. C. Re-theorizing family demographics. Population and Development Review, v. 41, n. 1, p. 1-31, 2015.
ESTEVE, A.; TREVIÑO, R. Los grandes porqués de la (in)fecundidad en España. Perspectives Demogràfiques, v. 13, p. 1-4, 2019.
FANTA GARRIDO, J.; SACCO, N. Tendencias de nuliparidad definitiva en países de América Latina y el Caribe: ¿hacia la desuniversalización de la maternidad? Coyuntura Demográfica, v. 13, p. 25-31, 2018.
FERNÁNDEZ SOTO, M. Estudio sobre las trayectorias conyugales de las mujeres del Gran Montevideo. Revista Latinoamericana de Población, Ano 4, n. 7, p. 79-104, enero/diciembre 2010.
FERNÁNDEZ SOTO, M. El efecto de las disoluciones conyugales en la fecundidad de las mujeres de Montevideo. Tesis (Doctorado en Ciencias Sociales con Especialización en Estudios de Población) – Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, 2019.
GEMMILL, A. From some to none? Fertility expectation dynamics of permanently childless women. Demography, v. 56, n. 1, p. 129-149, 2019.
GILLESPIE, R. Childfree and feminine: understanding the gender identity of voluntarily childless women. Gender and Society, v. 17, n. 1, p. 122-136, 2003.
GRAHAM, M. Is being childless detrimental to a woman’s health and well-being across her life course? Women’s Health Issues, v. 25, n. 2, p. 176-184, 2015.
GUZZO, K. B. New partners, more kids: multiple-partner fertility in the United States. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, v. 654, n. 1, p. 66-86, jul. 2014.
HAKIM, C. A new approach to explaining fertility patterns: preference theory. Population and Development Review, v. 29, n. 3, p. 349-374, 2003.
HAYFORD, S. R. The evolution of fertility expectations over the life course. Demography, v. 46, n. 4, p. 765-783, 2009.
HAYFORD, S. R. Marriage (still) matters: the contribution of demographic change to trends in childlessness in the United States. Demography, v. 50, n. 5, p. 1641-1661, 18 out. 2013.
HUIJTS, T.; KRAAYKAMP, G.; SUBRAMANIAN, S. V. Childlessness and psychological well-being in context: a multilevel study on 24 European countries. European Sociological Review, v. 29, n. 1, p. 32-47, 2013.
IACOVOU, M.; TAVARES, L. P. Yearning, learning and conceding: (some of) the reasons people change their childbearing intentions. Population and Development Review, v. 37, n. 1, p. 89-123, 2011.
JALOVAARA, M. et al. Education, Gender, and cohort fertility in the Nordic countries. European Journal of Population, 2018.
JALOVAARA, M.; FASANG, A. E. From never partnered to serial cohabitors: union trajectories to childlessness. Demographic Research, v. 36, p. 1703-1720, 25 maio 2017.
KELLY, M. Women’s voluntary childlessness: a radical rejection of motherhood? Women’s Studies Quarterly, v. 37, p. 157-172, 2009.
KREYENFELD, M.; KONIETZKA, D. (ed.). Childlessness in Europe: contexts, causes, and consequences. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2017.
KUHNT, A. K.; TRAPPE, H. Channels of social influence on the realization of short-term fertility intentions in Germany. Advances in Life Course Research, v. 27, p. 16-29, 2016.
LIMA, E.; ZEMAN, K.; SOBOTKA, T. Twentieth century changes in family size in Latin America – Analyses through cohort fertility and parity progression keywords. In: ANNUAL MEETING OF THE POPULATION ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. Proceedings [...]. Austin, Texas: Population Association of America, 2018.
MERZ, E. M.; LIEFBROER, A. C. The attitude toward voluntary childlessness in Europe: cultural and institutional explanations. Journal of Marriage and Family, v. 74, n. 3, p. 587-600, 2012.
MIETTINEN, A. et al. Increasing childlessness in Europe: time trends and country differences. [S.l.]: European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme, 2015. (Families And Societies Working Paper Series, 33).
MILLS, M. et al. Gender equity and fertility intentions in Italy and the Netherlands. Demographic Research, v. 18, n. 29, p. 1-26, 2008.
MILLS, M. et al. Why do people postpone parenthood? Reasons and social policy incentives. Human Reproduction Update, v. 17, n. 6, p. 848-860, 2011.
MYNARSKA, M. et al. Diverse paths into childlessness over the life course. Advances in Life Course Research, v. 25, p. 35-48, 2015.
NATHAN, M. La creciente heterogeneidad en la edad al primer hijo en el Uruguay: un análisis de las cohortes de 1951 a 1990. Notas de Población, v. 100, p. 35-59, 2015.
NATHAN, M.; PARDO, I.; CABELLA, W. Diverging patterns of fertility decline in Uruguay. Demographic Research, v. 34, n. 20, p. 563-586, 2016.
NEYER, G.; HOEM, J. M.; ANDERSSON, G. Education and childlessness: the influence of educational field and educational level on childlessness among Swedish and Austrian women. In: KREYENFELD, M.; KONIETZKA, D. (ed.). Childlessness in Europe: contexts, causes, and consequences. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2017. p. 183-207.
NÍ BHROLCHÁIN, M.; BEAUJOUAN, E.; BERRINGTON, A. Stability and change in fertility intentions in Britain, 1991-2007. Population Trends, v. 141, n. 1, p. 13-35, 2010.
PELLEGRINO, A.; POLLERO, R. Fecundidad y situación conyugal en el Uruguay. Un análisis retrospectivo. In: CELTO, D.; MIRÓ, C.; SÁNCHEZ ALBORNOZ, N. Cambios demográficos en América Latina: la experiencia de cinco siglos.Córdoba: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba/IUSSP, 1998. p. 229-250.
PELLEGRINO, A. Vida conyugal y fecundidad en la sociedad uruguaya del siglo XX: una visión desde la demografía. In: BARRÁN, J. P.; CAETANO, G. Y.; PORZECANSKI, T. (ed.). Historias de la vida privada en el Uruguay III. Individuo y soledades (1920-1990). Montevideo: Taurus, 1997.
PETERSON, H. Fifty shades of freedom. Voluntary childlessness as women’s ultimate liberation. Women’s Studies International Forum, v. 53, p. 182-191, 2015.
REHER, D.; REQUENA, M. Was there a mid-20th century fertility boom in Latin America? Revista de Historia Económica, v. 32, n. 3, p. 319-350, 2014.
REHER, D. S. Family ties in western Europe: persistent contrasts. Population and Development Review, v. 24, n. 2, p. 203-234, 1998.
RODMAN, H. The lower-class value stretch. Social Forces, v. 42, n. 2, p. 205, 1963.
ROWLAND, D. T. Historical trends in childlessness. Journal of Family Issues, v. 28, n. 10, p. 1311-1337, 2007.
SOBOTKA, T. Shifting parenthood to advanced reproductive ages: trends, causes and consequences. In: TREMMEL, J. (ed.). A young generation under pressure? [S.l.]: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2010. p. 129-154.
SOBOTKA, T. Childlessness in Europe: reconstructing long-term trends among women born in 1900-1972. In: KREYENFELD, M.; KONIETZKA, D. (eds.). Childlessness in Europe: contexts, causes, and consequences. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2017. p. 17-53. (Demographic Research Monographs).
SOBOTKA, T.; BEAUJOUAN, É. Two is best? The persistence of a two-child family ideal in Europe. Population and Development Review, v. 40, n. 3, p. 391-419, 2014.
TANTURRI, M. L. et al. State-of-the-art report Childlessness in Europe. [S.l.]: European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme, 2015. (Families And Societies Working Paper Series, 32). TE VELDE, E. et al. The effect of postponement of first motherhood on permanent involuntary childlessness and total fertility rate in six European countries since the 1970s. Human Reproduction, v. 27, n. 4, p. 1179-1183, 2012.
TOCCHIONI, V. Exploring the childless universe: profiles of women and men without children in Italy. Demographic Research, v. 38, n. 19, p. 451-470, 2018.
VAN BAVEL, J.; KOK, J. Pioneers of the modern lifestyle? Childless couples in the early-twentiethcentury Netherland. Social Science History, v. 34, n. 1, p. 47-72, 2010.
WAGNER, M.; HUININK, J.; LIEFBROER, A. C. Running out of time? Understanding the consequences of the biological clock for the dynamics of fertility intentions and union formation. Demographic Research, v. 40, p. 1-26, Jan. 2019.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Papers published in Rebep are original and protected under the Creative Commons attribution-type license (CC-BY). This license allows you to reuse publications in whole or in part for any purpose, free of charge, even for commercial purposes. Any person or institution can copy, distribute or reuse the content, as long as the author and the original source are properly mentioned.
