Childbearing motivation at the onset of emerging adulthood

Teenagers’ motivations and desires related to parenthood are important for their reproductive behavior in their teens and also constitute the origin of their future childbearing choices. The study investigates which perceived consequences of childbearing are the strongest predictors of desire to have children in the future, among late teens, at the onset of emerging adulthood. In a sample of 1803 Polish men and women (ages 18–20), their desire for children can be explained by their perceptions of the drawbacks of child care and the emotional values of children, mostly related to infancy. For men, the satisfaction of raising a child was also important. For women, traditional and instrumental values of children play a significant role, suggesting some normative influences. The relationship between fears related to children’s future well-being and childbearing desire was more complex, moderated by other perceived costs of children. Based on a small follow-up study (n = 107), we provided the first tentative evidence on the stability of childbearing motivations and desires over the transition to adulthood.