Скачать или смотреть Family Norms in Flux - Julia Behrman 1/24/22

Since the early 1970s, survey research has demonstrated the enduring prevalence of preference for two children in the United States, which is often taken as a sign of stability in the “two-child” family norm. However, there are a number of reasons to think this may be changing among millennials given declining birth rates, economic constraints, and changing gender and family norms. Drawing on nationally representative microdata from the National Survey of Family Growth and General Social Survey, Northwestern sociologist Julia Behrman explores whether there has been a move away from a two-child norm among millennials and whether the social meaning of the two-child norm has changed over cohorts. The findings suggest that aggregate stability in preference for two children overlooks important complexity in how this norm has shifted over time, with important implications for family policy.