Gender Equality and Nonmarital Fertility: A Global Examination

Amanda Brockman , Vanderbilt University

While researchers have examined the correlates of nonmarital fertility, with some of them being gender, empirical research examining the relationship between nonmarital childbirth and gender equity is lacking. Additionally, research on nonmarital fertility has largely been encapsulated within a single country. This research fills these gaps by examining the relationship between nonmarital fertility and gender equity utilizing data from 35 countries. It is theoretically informed by prior research on gender equity and fertility, as well as research on nonmarital fertility. It specifically applies theories of gender role conflict, economic independence, and valuing children more highly than marriage to variation in nonmarital fertility. This paper uses OLS regression to show that increases in gender equity have a positive effect on nonmarital fertility.

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 Presented in Session 164. Couple, Family, and Household Dynamics