Childlessness in the U.S.: Trends, Gender Role Attitudes, and Community Influences

Joyce C. Abma, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Gladys M. Martinez, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In the last two decades, the U.S. has seen an increase in the proportion of women who are childless. We focus on the temporarily childless because delayed childbearing may be associated with increased infertility problems, higher demand for infertility treatment, pre-term delivery, and low birth weight. The permanently voluntarily childless are also important because their decision is made despite living in a generally pronatalist society. Using the frame work of role incompatibility, this paper first examines trends in temporary and permanent childlessness. It then focuses on women nearing the end of their reproductive years, and compares those who have children, those who are temporarily childless, and those who are permanently-voluntarily childless. We are especially interested in how these groups of women differ in their gender role ideology, work experience, and the work and family features of their communities. The data used in this analysis comes from the National Survey of Family Growth.