Scelte di fecondità tra costrizioni economiche e cambio di valori: un'indagine sulle madri fiorentine

In this paper we present the main results of a survey carried out in 2002 on fertility of a group of mothers living in Florence (Italy). The survey has been conducted in the framework of a national research titled “Low fertility between economic constraints and values changes” financed by M.U.R.S.T 2000 and aimed to outline the causes and the consequences of the low fertility in Italy. It gathered information on mothers aged around 40 and their families. We examined reproductive behaviour, family choices, values and attitudes, educational and working career of these women and their partners, and their changes of economic status, gender roles and life-time after a child birth. The results are compared with those obtained through similar surveys carried out in other four Italian cities: Udine, Padua, Pesaro and Messina. On one hand, Florence shows some typical characteristics of post-modern European fertility and family structure: the percentage of women in non marital union is higher compared to the other urban contexts. On the other hand, it is similar to the other Italian cities: e.g. regarding the late transition to adulthood, made of the typical and sequential steps of exit from school and from parents’ household, entry the labour market and marital union and, finally, assumption of responsibility of motherhood. Most of women participated to the labour market, but the negative relationship between work and fertility persists. This is probably also due to the asymmetric role-set of couples, since even when both partners are full-time workers, the woman experiments the “dual burden” of job and domestic roles, in particular child-care.