The Final Cut: Assessing Gender Balance Preferences and Family Size Expectations for Men Using Vasectomy Data

Sarah Zureick, University of California, Berkeley

Individual level vasectomy data provides an interesting opportunity to study men's fertility desires since men who undergo the operation are placing a potential lifetime restriction on their own fertility. Using data on vasectomies from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort, this paper attempts to address two questions. First, are men who have exceeded their fertility expectations more likely to obtain a vasectomy than men who have just met their expectations. Second, controlling for family size, are men who have achieved family gender balance (at least one boy and one girl) more likely to obtain a vasectomy than men who have not achieved family gender balance. The results of the analyses indicate that men who have exceeded their expectations are more likely to obtain a vasectomy and that men who have achieved gender balance within their family are also more likely to obtain a vasectomy.