Ambivalence in Childbearing Attitudes and Desire for Children

Joanna Lesniak , Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw
Monika Mynarska, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw

The decision of whether to become a parent or not is one of the most engaging life choices we make and it often sparks a significant sense of uncertainty and hesitation. In this decision, not only the favorable aspects of childbearing are considered but also the numerous challenges it entails. Looking at 'both sides of the coin' seems a natural element of decision making, but if both positive and negative aspects are highly evaluated, a person might experience a state of ambivalence. In this study, we follow psychological literature and distinguish between two types of ambivalence: structural (the coexistence of strong positive and negative attitudes towards an object) and subjective (the conscious experience of inconsistent feelings as an internal struggle). We investigate how both types of ambivalence in attitudes towards parenthood are related to young people’s desire to have a child and whether the effects are different for men and women. The analysis covers a sample of 831 childless individuals (520 women and 311 men) aged 20-35, who participated in a nationwide study on childbearing motivations in Poland, in December 2022. We found that structural ambivalence is related to only slightly reduced childbearing desires for both men and women. This suggests that attaching a high value to both the costs and benefits of childbearing might be an inherent component of reproductive decision-making. When this mental state is experienced as a struggle (subjective ambivalence) it remains related to higher childbearing desire in women but is linked to decreased desire in men.

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 Presented in Session P1. Fertility, Family, Life Course