Determinants of child-bearing intentions of low-income women: attitudes versus life circumstances

Role sequencing: does order matter for mental health?

Role sequencing refers to the ordering of social roles. According to the normative order hypothesis, adults who follow a certain sequencing of their social roles will be better adjusted than their peers who follow other life course patterns. The normative order is defined as first entering the paid labor force, getting married, and later having children. This study tests this hypothesis by analyzing retrospective life history data from three subsamples of adults who completed the 1987--1988 National Survey of Families and Households: (1) married, working parents; (2) divorced, working parents; and (3) married, unemployed parents. The findings indicate significant race/ethnic (black/white), gender, and cohort differences in the type of role sequencing patterns that are conducive to positive mental health. For example, African Americans who work first, then have children, and later get married report better mental health than their peers who followed the normative order White men and women seem to benefit from following the normative course of role transitions. Among women, however, the psychological benefits of following typical life course patterns are especially evident among those born during the baby boom.

Sex-for-crack-cocaine exchange, poor black women, and pregnancy

A sample of 34 poor Black women who exchanged sex for crack was screened to discover if sex-for-crack exchanges resulted in pregnancies. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with women who became pregnant this way. Out of the 34 women, 18 reported sex-for-crack pregnancies, and more than half of that number became pregnant this way more than once. Twenty-nine pregnancies were reported. Only 2 women chose to have abortions. Interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative data analytical procedures. The following three issues shaped the women's responses to sex-for-crack pregnancies: (a) severity of crack use, (b) religious beliefs, and (c) social organization patterns within poor Black communities. The findings have implications for drug treatment and child welfare policy.

Third birth intentions and uncertainty in Canada

Using data from the 1995 Canadian General Society Survey (GSS-95), we study the intention to have a third child among a sample of women and men who have already had two children (N = 505). Our results show that 15 per cent of the respondents intend to have a third child. Nearly 20 per cent of the respondents are uncertain about their fertility intentions. We found that the same factors that predict intentions also predict uncertainty, and that the effects of these predictors are remarkably similar. In particular, intentions and uncertainty generally decline with age, but increase with regular church attendance, remarriage, and being Catholic. Unlike earlier studies, we found that the sex of previous children has virtually no impact on third-birth intentions or uncertainty.