title: The impact of fertility intentions on behavior: the case of sterilization.
abstract: In this paper, we take a new approach to the question of whether or not intentions regarding future fertility affect fertility-related behavior. Our approach has three principal features: 1) it takes sterilization as its outcome, rather than pregnancy or birth; 2) it is based on a conceptual model in which fertility-related behavior is seen as determined by a long-range planning process, modified by unanticipated life course contingencies; and 3) it uses data on desired total family size. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, we find that achieving one's desired parity has a strong, persistent, and positive effect on the probability of sterilization, supporting our view of the long-term nature of fertility intentions. People do modify their behavior in the face of unanticipated contingencies, but those effects are unexpectedly small.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schoen
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Astone
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Nathanson
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010298:Parity; D013245:Sterilization, Reproductive / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States