Social Influence on Childbearing Behavior in a Low Fertility Context

Laura Bernardi, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and Brown University

How do social relationships with family and peers affect couples' fertility behavior? Besides providing monetary and non-monetary support, social relations with family members and friends are a relevant source of information about the advantages and disadvantages of reproductive choices. Moreover, they shape norms on “appropriate” behaviors and they embed the formation and evolution of individual attitudes and preferences. We conducted 54 in-depth interviews with women resident in the northern region of Lombardy (Italy). The interviews provide detailed information about women’s network of important others, their fertility and family choices, and about their conceptions of motherhood and gender roles. We have evidence to support the hypothesis that a synchronization of events related to family formation may occur within a dense network of peers. We discuss the consequence of this 'cascade effect' in childbearing timing at the population level. Finally, we argue for investing in the study of social networks in order to better understand fertility dynamics.