Hispanic Familism Reconsidered: Ethnic Differences in the Perceived Value of Children and Fertility Intentions

Familism has been described as a cultural trait that might explain why the fertility of Hispanic women remains higher than non-Hispanic White women. Still, few studies have analyzed group differences in childbearing attitudes. This paper focuses on two dimensions of childbearing orientation: social value of children and fertility intentions. Using the National Survey of Family Growth we find limited support for the idea that familism undergirds differentials in fertility between native-born Hispanics and Whites. However, for foreign-born Hispanics, there are some differences in the perceived value of children compared with Whites, and these differences could contribute to fertility differentials.