Authors

• Paajanen, Pirjo (Finnish Family Federation. Population Research Institute)

Keywords

childbirth, children, economic conditions, families, families with children, family influence, family life, fathers, gender role, housework, mothers, occupational life, parent-child relationship, parental role

Abstract

The survey focused on what causes parents of different age to start a family, how the birth of a child affects the lives of women and men, and fatherhood in families with small children.

First, the respondents' childhood and youth were charted. They were presented with questions on their childhood family, the number of their siblings, the number of their spouse's siblings, how old their parents were when their first child was born, and at what age their first dating relationship began. Some questions pertained to how old the respondents were when their first child was born, and whether they had considered themselves to be too young or old to have their first child. In addition, the number of respondents' children and the number of their spouse's children were queried, as well as whether the respondents were planning to have more children.

Some questions explored the respondents' and their spouse's current employment, income level, and short-time working because of child care responsibilities. Their opinions were canvassed on what would be the ideal age to have a first child, and which factors had influenced the decision to have their first child. The respondents' employment and financial situation just before the child was born were also queried.

The respondents were presented with a set of attitudinal statements on challenges involved in starting a family. They gave their opinions on the most frequent causes of arguments with their spouse, and how important they considered various things to be, including financial security, hobbies, good relationship, and health. The respondents also assessed how satisfied they were with those things in their lives.

In relation to received support as regards home and child care, the respondents were asked who had helped them in various situations, for instance when their child had fallen ill or when their home had needed cleaning. They were also asked whether they would have liked to receive more support as regards parenting. If they answered yes, they were also asked to tell what kind of support they would have liked to receive and from whom. Further questions covered the division of child care responsibilities between the mother and the father in their household. The respondents' opinions were also charted on various factors related to parenting and starting a family, and on the role of the father.

The rest of the questions were aimed at male respondents. First they answered open-ended questions about their own conceptions of the father's role, the important things in fatherhood, and what they would like to teach to their daughters and sons. The male respondents were presented with a set of attitudinal statements on fatherhood. They were asked whether they had attended the birth of their children, and whether they had been away from work over a week to care for their children. Further open-ended questions probed the male respondents' opinions on the most problematic and best things in being a father. Views on family life were charted with the help of various statements, and finally, the male respondents assessed how they had succeeded as fathers and spouses.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, year of birth, municipality of residence, education, and occupational group.