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Talking about children: an examination of accounts about reproduction and family life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Judy Payne
Judy Payne
Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Sociology, Westburn Road, Aberdeen
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Summary

This study explores the reasons which individuals give for initially wanting children; data are drawn from intensive interviews concerned with reproduction, marriage and family life which were conducted with couples in the childbearing stage of marriage. The study is an extension of the approach but forward by Busfield (1974) in that it examines the beliefs which structure social constructions of reproduction.

The evidence suggests that, although wide-ranging beliefs are drawn upon in accounting for wanting children, the underlying reasons are concerned with beliefs about the nature of ordinary adult life. However, except at a very general level, such beliefs are not uniformly held but are selected and structured by the particular situation and experience of individuals. The approach demonstrates how a deeper understanding of reproductive behaviour can be gained by relating it to the wider context of family, marriage and adult life.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , October 1978 , pp. 367 - 374
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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References

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