Familistic Attitudes, Dual Burden and Fertility in Italy

Ester L. Rizzi, Università di Messina and Brown University
Maya Judd, Brown University
Michael J. White, Brown University
Laura Bernardi, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
David I. Kertzer, Brown University

The objective of the paper is to explore variables pertinent to contemporary lifestyles and attitudes in Italy in order to evaluate their relationship/effect on dual burden outcomes and the desired number of children. More specifically, we are interested in understanding how both attitudinal variables related to the SDT and indicators of gender relations affect women's level of satisfaction with the division of domestic work and the desired to have a child within three years. Intermediate variables and control variables, such as women’s education, women’s cohort, women's external work, their proximity to their families, and the presence of young children are also taken into account. Regional and cohort variation is also examined. The nationally 2003 representative survey, Famiglie Soggetti Sociali provides the data source. Our results provide some support for dual burden and SDT viewpoints.