Korzyści płynące z rodzicielstwa w perspektywie biegu życia
The Benefits of Parenthood in the Life-course Perspective

Author(s): Monika Mynarska
Subject(s): Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Value of Children; costs and values of children; reproductive choices; childlessness; life-course
Summary/Abstract: The Value of Children Theory, developed almost half a century ago, proved to be very useful in explaining fertility decline occurring in developed countries in the first half of the 20th century. However, when it comes to explaining the very low levels of fertility, observed currently in many developed countries, the utility of the theory seems limited. The chapter built on the demographic and sociological literature and drawing upon the results of my own qualitative research, presents a modification of this theoretical model. I argue that looking at costs and values of children from life-course perspective brings new insights and allows better understanding of reproductive choices in the post-modern world. The main purpose of the chapter is to show how the life-course perspective on the Value of Children model expands our research perspective and delineates new directions for future research on family changes.

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