New research reveals that while traditional family structures have undergone significant transformations, certain core values remain pivotal across diverse global contexts. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), indicate that while parenthood is universally valued, the specific number of children, beyond having at least one, does not significantly influence perceptions of an ideal family. This challenges the traditional two-children ideal, indicating a broader acceptance of varied family sizes.
Social scientists have noted profound changes in family patterns within advanced industrialized societies, often described as the second demographic transition. These changes include declining fertility rates, increased cohabitation and single-person households, and higher rates of divorce and re-partnering.
Such shifts signal a departure from traditional family structures, influenced by a broader ideational change towards self-realization and personal autonomy. However, variations in these trends across different regions highlight the need for a deeper understanding of what people consider an ideal family, especially in contexts of low fertility. First author Arnstein Aassve, a professor in demography at Bocconi University, and his colleagues sought to fill this gap in our understand.
“First and foremost,” Aassve said, the new study was motivated by “the observed fertility decline in the Western World. It raises the question whether children still remain a major feature of what people think about family life.”
Methodology
The study included 20,141 respondents from urban areas across eight countries: China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, Italy, Spain, and Norway. These countries were carefully selected to cover a wide range of institutional, cultural, and economic contexts, especially focusing on differences in fertility rates, from the “lowest-low” fertility contexts of Singapore and South Korea to the relatively higher fertility rates found in the United States and Norway.
The researchers utilized a factorial experiment methodology, employing two sets of detailed vignettes (short hypothetical scenarios) to probe the perceptions of the ideal family among respondents in various cultural contexts.
Experiment 1 presented six vignettes focusing on basic family dynamics, such as the division of labor, economic stability, and communication patterns within the family and with extended family, centered around a hypothetical couple and their child(ren). Experiment 2 introduced more complex scenarios, including variables like the number of children, the parents’ marital status, the family’s economic conditions, and educational aspirations for the children.
Respondents were asked to evaluate each family scenario, allowing researchers to systematically assess the impact of individual and combined family characteristics on the perception of an ideal family.
Key Findings
The findings offered a nuanced look at how societal changes, economic conditions, and cultural traditions shape what people consider an ideal family in contexts marked by low fertility rates.
Interestingly, the researchers observed that, despite their cultural diversity, the respondents shared largely similar views on the significance of various family aspects, illustrating a consistent pattern of family ideals across industrialized nations.
“We surveys eight very different countries, and it turns out that in terms of family ideals, the pattern in terms of what matter are similar. There are different size effects across these countries, but in terms of direction of the effects, they go in the same direction.”
Marriage vs. Cohabitation and Childbearing
A significant finding from the study was the clear preference for marriage over cohabitation across most countries, highlighting the enduring value placed on traditional marital unions in the conceptualization of an ideal family. This preference was consistent despite the growing acceptance of cohabitation in many societies, suggesting that marriage remains a cornerstone of family ideals.
Divorce was consistently viewed negatively across all countries, indicating a universal preference for stable, enduring partnerships when it comes to the ideal family.
Furthermore, the research found that having at least one child was generally considered more ideal than being childless, underlining the importance of parenthood in the family ideal. However, there was no marked preference for families with more than one child, indicating that the quality of family life, rather than the quantity of children, may be of greater significance in defining the ideal family.
Economic Stability and Gender Equality
Economic stability emerged as a crucial factor, with families having a lower-than-average income receiving less favorable evaluations. This underscores the importance of financial security in the construction of ideal family life, reflecting broader societal concerns about economic well-being and its impact on family stability.
Additionally, the study highlighted a strong preference for egalitarian gender roles within the family. Respondents valued arrangements where domestic and financial responsibilities are shared more equally between partners, moving away from traditional models where women are primarily responsible for domestic tasks.
Relational Dynamics and Educational Aspirations
The quality of relationships within the family, characterized by good communication and frequent contact with extended family members, was deemed highly important. This emphasis on strong familial bonds and respect within the community points to the relational dimensions of the ideal family, where emotional support and social esteem play critical roles.
When considering families with children, educational aspirations emerged as a significant factor. Families that expected their children to achieve higher levels of education and those that actively planned for their children’s financial futures were rated more favorably. This finding reflects the growing emphasis on educational attainment and financial planning as key components of successful parenting and family life.
Variations Across Countries
While the study revealed remarkable similarities in family ideals across the diverse range of countries, there were also notable variations. These differences highlight the influence of local cultural, economic, and institutional contexts on family ideals.
For example, cohabitation was penalized more severely in Asian countries compared to European ones, reflecting cultural differences in the acceptance of non-marital partnerships.
Practical Implications
“Funnily enough, for the average person, the findings may not come across as very surprising. In the end, we did indeed ask the ‘average person’ what their family ideals would be. Emotional support and communication trump the other factors, including the importance of having children.”
But the findings do have important implications for policymakers.
“A lot of research has gone into understanding the gap between the ideal number of children and the actual fertility rate. What we show is that it may not at all be the case that the average person’s ideal number of children is two. We show that once respondents are prompted for other family aspects, it does not matter much to people if they have one, two, or three children. If anything, the policy advice for this research should target couple and family counseling. Who knows, that might even increase the fertility rate.”
“We had some pushback from Italian media outlets who were not so keen to publish these kind of findings, because we are casting some serious doubt on the regularity that couples ideally would like to have two children. Our research suggest that some rethinking is needed – both in terms of academic research and for policy makers.”
Limitations and Future Directions
Despite its comprehensive scope, the study has certain limitations, including its focus on urban populations and the potential for cultural biases in interpreting family ideals. The study’s findings are also based on respondents’ stated preferences, which may not always translate into actual behaviors.
“This is a survey about people’s attitudes and ideals. It does not say anything about the actual behavior. ”
Future research could expand to include rural populations and employ longitudinal designs to observe how family ideals evolve over time and influence real-world family formation and dynamics.
“For understanding demographic trends, values and attitudes have become more important – not least for theory building. But, the conjoint analysis performed here is still rare in this field. There is a range of additional research questions that can be dealt with using this approach.
The study, “Family ideals in an era of low fertility,” was authored by Arnstein Aassve, Alícia Adserà, Paul Y. Chang, Letizia Mencarini, Hyunjoon Park, Chen Peng, Samuel Plach, James M. Raymo, Senhu Wang, and Wei-Jun Jean Yeung.
