Religion and Attitudes toward Childlessness in the United States

Attitudes toward childlessness have received little attention from social scientists even as childlessness as a family form has become more popular. One key predictor of childlessness attitudes is religious commitment, though few studies have examined this association in-depth. Using data from two r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of family issues Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 186 - 214
Main Authors Uecker, Jeremy E., Bonhag, Rebecca, Burtt, J. J., Evans, Hannah R., Hernandez, Amanda D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2022
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Attitudes
Childlessness
Families & family life
Religion
Religious attitudes
Religious identity
United States > US
Family Attitudes
Voluntary Childlessness
Fertility
Childfree
Gender & Family
Religion
Childlessness
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Summary:Attitudes toward childlessness have received little attention from social scientists even as childlessness as a family form has become more popular. One key predictor of childlessness attitudes is religious commitment, though few studies have examined this association in-depth. Using data from two recent, national datasets—the National Survey of Family Growth and the Survey of U.S. Catholics and Family Life—we assess the relationships between individuals’ religious characteristics and various attitudes about their own and others’ childlessness, as well as how these factors may vary across gender. We find strong associations between religious affiliation, religious attendance, and religious salience, and each of the outcomes such that religious commitment tends to be associated with more negative attitudes toward childlessness. Interactions across gender were rare and the direction of the interactions was mixed. Religion is a pivotal factor in perpetuating pronatalist attitudes in the United States among both men and women.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X21994148