Gender differences in willingness for childbirth, fertility knowledge, and value of motherhood or fatherhood and their associations among college students in South Korea, 2021

Archives of Public Health

Research

Seo Yun Kim¹  Hae Won Kim² 

[1] Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, USA;Research Institute of Nursing Science, Center for Human-Caring Nurse Leaders for the Future by Brain Korea 21 (BK 21) Four Project, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;

关键词: Fertility;    Intention;    Knowledge;    Parenthood;    Gender;    Preconception Care;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13690-023-01127-x

 received in 2022-05-31, accepted in 2023-06-05,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSouth Korea is a country with a very low fertility rate and there is a tendency for young adults to postpone marriage and childbirth, which affects adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is important for young adults to predict and prepare in advance for future fertility-related issues, especially by identifying their willingness and thoughts about childbirth for both women and men. This study aimed to investigate gender differences in willingness for childbirth, fertility knowledge, and the value of motherhood or fatherhood among college students in South Korea and to explore the factors influencing willingness for childbirth.MethodsThis was a cross sectional study among 286 unmarried college students who were recruited through a campus email and online communities for college student conducted from June 20, 2021 to July 19, 2021. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test and t-test to identify gender differences in general characteristics, willingness for childbirth, fertility knowledge, and value of motherhood of fatherhood. The factors influencing willingness for childbirth were examined using multiple logistic regression.ResultsFemale students showed lower willingness for future childbirth than male students (χ2 = 26.85, p < .001). Women valued motherhood significantly less than men valued fatherhood (t = 6.34, p < .001). Women had a lower fertility knowledge score than men (t = 2.53 p = .012). The value of motherhood or fatherhood was an important influencing factor in both male and female college students (AOR = 8.57, 95% CI = 3.79–19.41 and AOR = 10.42, 95% CI = 3.65–29.80, respectively), whereas the monthly allowance was also an important influencing factor in female students (AOR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01–1.03).ConclusionThe findings indicate the future direction to develop effective interventions considering gender differences which will promote healthy pregnancy and childbirth in the future for informed reproductive decision-making for college students.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023