Desired and achieved fertility in a low fertility context: realization of childbearing intentions with reference to the Czech Republic

Anna Stastna, Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs (RILSA)

The study investigates childbearing intentions and the realisation thereof in the context of the Czech Republic, one of the former socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe in which social, political and economic transformation resulted in rapid changes in demographic trends. Beginning in 1990, family formation was postponed and fertility rates declined sharply from 1.89 to 1.18 remaining below the ‘lowest-low’ threshold (1.1-1.2) until 2004. However the ideal of a two-child family still persists and the two-child family model has been identified in various sociological studies. This study uses Czech Generations and Gender Survey panel data from 2005 and 2008 to investigate the realization / non-realization of fertility intentions. The author studies to what extent the intention and perceived impact of having a child play a role in real behaviour and what impact might be assigned to other factors - personal characteristics, life course experiences and socio-economic situation.