Changes in motivation for parenthood among young married couples

The perceived satisfactions, costs, and overall motivation associated with having a first or second child was assessed at two time points for 507 married couples. Motivation associated with parenthood varied systematically over time and was influenced by attainment of cultural fertility norms and the impact of a birth. Among those who experienced a birth between Times 1 and 2, couples who already had a child showed a much greater drop in motivation for a future child than did initially childless couples. Husbands perceived lower costs associated with an additional child than did wives.This research was supported by NICHD Center for Population Research Contract No. HD 52807 and Research Scientist Development Award No. AA00002 from NIAAA to the author. The important contributions of Philip Bardsley to this research and to earlier drafts of this paper are gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to Tom Day and Linda Moody Chilingar for their data analytic and statistical skills and to Cathey Heron for her assistance throughout the course of this project.