I comportamenti riproduttivi: atteggiamenti, intenzioni e scelte delle donne italiane

Abstract

In 1998 the Institute for Research on the Population and Social Policies (IRPPS) launched an Observatory on Reproductive Intentions. This involves the annual collection of data on the decisions of Italian women as to whether to have children or not and changes over time are monitored. The data collected forms the basis for interpreting reproductive behaviour and provides a tool for forecasting short-term fertility trends and gives scientific support for policy measures in this area. The Institute will run a yearly panel survey on the sample taken two years previously in order to analyse whether the fertility expectations expressed have been fulfilled in the forecast time, and if not, why not. This report presents the results of two telephone surveys conducted at the beginning of 2003 and 2004 on a representative sample of 1,500 women aged between 20 and 39 years of age, living with a spouse/partner, and resident in the North, Centre and South of Italy. The report contains an introduction and 3 chapters on: the opinion of Italian women on the timing and the context in which having children; choices and desires towards motherhood and intention to have children. The report ends with a conclusion and the survey questionnaire with the relative frequencies.