Two to tango? The importance of partnerships and partners’ views in shaping fertility aspirations and expectations
Ruth Weston, Lixia Qu, Matthew Gray and Robyn Parker
Australian Institute of Family Studies
Contact Email:   Ruth.Westonaifs.gov.au

The declining fertility rate worldwide has sparked much public debate about its possible causes, its implications, and the nature of policy responses that might be appropriate. A broad range of factors (psycho-social, economic, and political) have been implicated, but there are many gaps in our knowledge. For example, while there is some evidence to suggest that views about having children tend to change as individuals enter or leave partnerships, such effects have received little research attention. Furthermore, men’s views about having children are rarely considered, and even less attention has been given to decision-making of couples.

Using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, this paper focuses on (a) childless men and women who are still in common childbearing years – and assesses the importance of partnering status and history relative to other factors in shaping both fertility aspirations and expectations; and (b) couples – and assesses each partner’s fertility aspirations and expectations as they relate to personal characteristics and aspects of the couple relationship, including financial well-being.

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