Unmarried female nurses may be easily affected by socially prescribed perfectionism or social comparison tendencies in a work environment that requires accurate performance within a limited time and in a social environment compared to the general population. The subjective sense of success in their careers is an important factor for understanding the various employment behaviors of the younger generation. However, limited research evidence exists on the relationship between these variables and fertility intention in the younger generation. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the possibility that socially prescribed perfectionism and social comparison orientation negatively affect unmarried female nurses’ fertility intentions, with work and generational characteristics and subjective career success as positive variables for their fertility intentions beyond work burden. This cross-sectional study included 190 unmarried female nurses aged 20–50 years who had worked for more than 6 months in general hospitals in South Korea. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling through an online community from June 20 to 30, 2023. For data analysis, the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson’s coefficient correlation, and stepwise multiple regression were used. The factors influencing the fertility intention of unmarried female nurses were social comparison orientation (β = −0.22, p = 0.002), positive perception of child value (β = 0.19, p = 0.006), and subjective career success (β = 0.18, p = 0.014), in that order. Socially prescribed perfectionism was negatively correlated with fertility intention (r = −0.27, p < 0.001) but did not influence it. This study showed that social comparison orientation and subjective career success were predictors of fertility intention among unmarried female nurses. To promote young unmarried nurses’ fertility intentions, creative systems should be developed where their social comparison orientation can positively affect fertility intentions, and nurses should be helped achieve subjective success and satisfaction with their careers, even in high-burden nursing settings. The total fertility rate in South Korea in 2022 was 0.78. Resolving this unprecedentedly low fertility rate in the world is the most important issue for national survival. We aimed to investigate the influencing factors of unmarried female nurses’ fertility intention because intention was known to be useful in predicting actual behavior. Although women’s economic activities have caused significant changes in marriage and childbirth, the reasons for low fertility rates do not lie solely in economic participation or the economic burden of raising children. Among economic activities, it is necessary to understand the phenomena that change depending on the type of job and characteristics of the job environment or generation. Nursing settings reinforce nurses’ perfectionism, which sometimes leads to voluntary spinsterhood. Professional women’s career success orientations may influence their fertility intentions. Additionally, social comparison orientation is likely to be reinforced through social networking services activities that share daily life with others, and this comparison can influence their perspective of childbirth. This study confirmed that a social comparison orientation had a negative effect on unmarried female nurses’ fertility intentions, whereas subjective career success and positive recognition of children’s values had a positive effect. The results of this study show that when unmarried female nurses assume their own childbirth, their fertility intentions decrease compared to their colleagues who are immersed in their careers. However, this suggests that fertility intention can differ if the child’s value is evaluated in terms of emotional and mental aspects. Furthermore, if subjective beliefs and standards for career success are properly formed, it can have a positive effect on fertility intention. Therefore, to establish an effective fertility promotion policy, it is important to analyze the trends of the younger generation and identify the factors that promote and mitigate them.
Woo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.