Children should be a part of my life, but I don t know how to manage it. A qualitative fertility study of highly educated women in Vienna

Transcription

1 Children should be a part of my life, but I don t know how to manage it. A qualitative fertility study of highly educated women in Vienna Children should be a part of my life, but I don t know how to manage it. A qualitative fertility study of highly educated women in Vienna Katrin.Fliegenschnee@oeaw.ac.at

2 Overview Overview Theoretical background Interview technique and sampling Methodological approach Preliminary findings Discussion Seite 2

3 Theoretical background Theoretical background New Home Economic approach costs and benefits of children opportunity costs Second Demographic Transition theory values and norms Theory of planned behaviour Easterlin theory Seite 3

4 Interview technique and sampling Problem-centred interview Semi structured - guideline Interview The network card emotional closeness support importance Network table Seite 4

5 Interview technique and sampling Problem-centered Interview start with a biographical question partnership family plans and children about their social network values and personal aims control questions for the GGS some socio-demographic questions Seite 5

6 Interview technique and sampling The network card: emotional closeness, support, importance ME Very important important a little important Not important problematic Seite 6

7 Interview technique and sampling Sampling snowball sampling Women Between Living in a relationship Till now no children Well educated Living and/or working in Vienna Seite 7

8 Methodological approach Combining sequence analysis with grounded theory Starting with fine analysis Followed by rough analysis formulating hypotheses Using grounded theory open coding axial coding selective coding Seite 8

9 Preliminary categories Preliminary categories Life concept Fears Decision Partner s role Shape Social interaction Seite 9

10 Preliminary categories Life concept Fears Decision Social pressure Partner s role Shape Seite 10

11 Preliminary categories Preliminary categories Life concept Seite 11

12 Life concept Hypothesis People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. Seite 12

13 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. `I even hope that we, tha-, that Christoph then also will have a job soon and we possibly could move into a bigger flat laugh hehe where we then could start thinking about having a family laugh hehehehehe, (Karin) Seite 13

14 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. `I even hope that we, tha-, that Christoph then also will have a job soon and we possibly could move into a bigger flat laugh hehe where we then could start thinking about having a family laugh hehehehehe, (Karin) Seite 14

15 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. `I even hope that we, tha-, that Christoph then also will have a job soon and we possibly could move into a bigger flat laugh hehe where we then could start thinking about having a family laugh hehehehehe, (Karin) Seite 15

16 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. `I even hope that we, tha-, that Christoph then also will have a job soon and we possibly could move into a bigger flat laugh hehe where we then could start thinking about having a family laugh hehehehehe, (Karin) Seite 16

17 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. well, it should be like that: I should be settled in my job to some extent, so that I know when I come back I will still have all the possibilities. And yes, so, financially, because for our apartment, we have a mortgage, and that should be paid first. (Michi) Seite 17

18 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. well, it should be like that: I should be settled in my job to some extent, so that I know when I come back I will still have all the possibilities. And yes, so, financially, because for our apartment, we have a mortgage, and that should be paid first. (Michi) Seite 18

19 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. well, it should be like that: I should be settled in my job to some extent, so that I know when I come back I will still have all the possibilities. And yes, so, financially, because for our apartment, we have a mortgage, and that should be paid first. (Michi) Seite 19

20 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. I would like that he also takes parental leave, but we will see I mean if it [a child] would happen now surprisingly, it would not be possible so therefore I would like to postpone it for some years laugh (Michi) Seite 20

21 Life concept People have life concepts. In case there is a great discrepancy between the current circumstances and their ideas of ideal conditions, they will postpone childbearing. I am 34, this means this is exactly the, that peak where you have to say O.K., now I will concentrate with full power on my career or, errrrr, planning a family. (Bettina) Seite 21

22 Fears The issue of having children is connected with many different fears; postponing childbearing means avoiding these fears. and you don t know if you can risk having a child or if you ll be unemployed and on welfare at age 40. (Ponders for 3 seconds) This is difficult to judge, can I risk it? (Melanie) Seite 22

23 Decision Career-oriented women find it difficult to decide between a job and a child. They have the feeling that they will lose out in any case, no matter which decision they take. You see, this is my fix and I don t know if [my future plans] are realistic, and I don t know which part of it I should drop to get, let s say, half of what I want to have. (Jenny) Seite 23

24 Partner s role Having a child is something well-educated women in Vienna want to decide about together with their partner. If one of the partners is not yet prepared to have a child, the couple will postpone childbearing. every time I address it, you know I would like to have children and you would be a great father and I want to have at least three, he laughs like that HAHAHA [contemptuously] and he says YES but, we have to, mmm I wouldn t like it when you d turn to housework and children only, first you have to settle in your job. (Jenny) Seite 24

25 Shape People have concepts about which steps they would like to take in the future. How they take or do not take them is influenced by network members. this was such an interesting process to witness, at first, they somehow found a flat, then marriage then slowly the idea shall we have a child or not, hehehe, this slow process was very lovely to watch because the two of us also talked a lot about it, and at one point there was the decision for a child and then everything happened relatively quickly. (Karin) Seite 25

26 Social pressure Pressure is not a pleasant feeling, and one strategy is to simply avoid the topic. K: Well she tells me from time to time you know now the time comes slowly when I would like to become a grandmother [she is nearly singing], so what are the prospects of this [laughs] hehe, my mother is very direct here, hehehe I: But for you this is not a decision criterion? K: NO, hehe, I think you should, well, you can of course listen to what your mother is saying, but you shouldn t let your life be defined that much by it. (Karin) Seite 26

27 Discussion Life concept to have things finished financial situation parental leave experiencing together preparing a nest job arrangements identity Seite 27

28 Discussion Fears financial and labor issues not meeting expectations Decision what ever she is loosing rational vs. emotional Seite 28

29 Discussion Partner s role time horizon refusing to talk about it Shape childhood experiences Social pressure avoiding the topic creating stress Seite 29

30 Children should be a part of my life, but I don t know how to manage it. A qualitative fertility study of highly educated women in Vienna Thank you questions or remarks Seite 30

31 Children should be a part of my life, but I don t know how to manage it. A qualitative fertility study of highly educated women in Vienna Fine analysis Rough analysis Grounded theory Which obvious information is in the text? Paraphrases: a short description What? Which phenomenon is mentioned? Which function has this statement, which intention is behind the statement? Which latent moments can be there and which objective consequences for actions and ways of thinking can be the results? Which roll arrangement results out of this? Intentions: what are the intentions for the person, what would they like to tell us The Structure consequences: which consequences would has this action The structural conditions: Which structural conditions can provoke such a statement What for? With what intention, to which purpose? Why? Which reasons are given or can be reconstructed? How? Which aspects of the phenomenon are mentioned? By which? Tactics and strategies to reach the goal. Who? Which persons, roles are involved, how do they interact? Which options arrive for the next parts? System effect: which effects are there for a system Axial coding: Phenomena, about strategies, conditions, consequences and the context When, how long, where: Time, course, location. How much, how strong? Aspects of intensity. Seite 31