Le caratteristiche e le motivazioni delle donne senza figli in Italia: un’analisi esplorativa

Using data from an ad-hoc 2002 survey, we outline different paths to childlessness in Italy and investigate individual characteristics and reasons for childlessness. As many as a third of the interviewees are voluntary childlessness. These women, in contrast to mothers, appear to be less religious and to have less religious partners; to come from smaller families of origin; to have cohabitated at least once in life; to have entered their first union later; to have had, in the initial period of their union, unstable occupations and flexible work schedules, and little leisure time. In several other cases, childlessness is the unintended outcome of delayed decision to have a child or the result of adverse external circumstances, particularly fragility of partnership.