Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T16:15:39.466Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Who remains childless?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Kathleen E. Kiernan
Affiliation:
Social Statistics Research Unit, City University, London

Summary

Who are the men and women who are childless in their mid-30s? Life history data for a British cohort born in 1946 show that age at marriage and marital breakdown were clearly associated with childlessness. Women who were only children were more likely to be childless than those with siblings. Further, early menarcheal age, being highly qualified and having a high status occupation were indirectly related to childlessness. For men, particularly amongst those who had experienced a broken marriage, it was the most ambitious, the highly educated and those in professional occupations who were relatively more likely to be childless.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Atkins, E., Cherry, N. M., Douglas, J. W. B., Kiernan, K. E. & Wadsworth, M. E. J. (1981) The 1946 British birth survey: an account of the origins, progress and results of the National Survey of Health and Development. In: An Empirical Basis for Primary Prevention: Prospective Longitudinal Research in Europe. Edited by Mednick, S. A. & Baest, A. E.. Oxford University Press, London.Google Scholar
Baum, F. & Cope, D. (1980) Some characteristics of intentionally childless wives in Britain. J. biosoc. Sci. 12, 287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cartwright, A. (1976) How Many Children? Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Douglas, J. W. B. (1966) The age at reaching puberty: some associated factors and some educational implications. Scient. Basis Med. Ann. Rev., p. 91.Google ScholarPubMed
Douglas, J. W. B. (1976) The use and abuse of national cohorts. In: The Organisation and Impact of Social Research. Edited by Shipman, M.. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Glass, D. V. & Grebenik, E. (1954) The Trend and Pattern of Fertility in Great Britain: A Report of the Family Census of 1946. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Grebenik, E. (1983) Fertility report from the 1971 Census. OPCS, Series DS, No. 5. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Harlap, S. & Davies, M. (1978) The Pill and Births: The Jerusalem Study. Final Report. National Institute of Child Health and Development, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Kiernan, K. E. (1977) Age at puberty in relation to age at marriage and parenthood: a national longitudinal study. Ann. hum. Biol. 4, 301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiernan, K. E. (1989) The family: formation and fission. In: Changing Population of Britain. Edited by Joshi, H.. Basil Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Kuczynski, R. R. (1938) Childless marriages. Social. Rev. 30, Nos. 2, 3, 4.Google Scholar
Langford, C. (1976) Birth Control Practice and Marital Fertility in Great Britain. Population Investigation Committee, London.Google Scholar
McDonald, P. (1984) Nuptiality and Completed Fertility: A Study of Starting, Stopping and Spacing Behaviour. World Fertility Survey Comparative Studies, Series No. 35. ISI, Voorburg, Netherlands.Google Scholar
Menken, J. (1985) Age at fertility: how late can you wait? Demography, 22, 469.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
OPCS (1984) General Household Survey Report 1982. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
OPCS (1985) General Household Survey Report 1983. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Polonko, K. & Scanzoni, J. (1981) Patterns Compared for the Voluntary Childless, Undecided Childless, Postponing Childless and Mothers. Final Report to the National Institute of Child Health and Development, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Stein, Z. A. (1985) A woman's age: childbearing and childrearing. Am. J. Epidemiol. 121, 327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trussell, J. & Wilson, C. (1985) Sterility in a population with natural fertility. Popul. Stud. 39, 269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veevers, J. E. (1980) Childless by Choice. Butterworth, Toronto.Google Scholar
Vessey, M. P., Wright, N. H., McPherson, K. & Wiggins, P. (1978) Fertility after stopping different methods of contraception. Br. med. J. 1, 265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Werner, B. (1986) Family building intentions of different generations of women: results from the General Household Survey 1979–83. Popul. Trends, 44, 17.Google Scholar
Werner, B. & Chalk, S. (1986) Projections of first, second, third and later births. Popul. Trends, 46, 26.Google Scholar
Westrom, L. (1975) Effect of acute pelvic inflammatory disease on fertility. Am. J. Obstet. Gynec. 121, 707.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whelpton, P. K., Campbell, A. A. & Patterson, J. E. (1966) Fertility and Family Planning in the United States. Princeton University Press, Princeton.CrossRefGoogle Scholar