NKIS 국가정책연구포털

국문초록

영문초록

• Abstract
  
  This study examines the relevance of gender equity theories in explaining women’s intentions to remain childless, focusing on how unequal gender arrangements in both public and private spheres shape reproductive decision-making. Using a cross-national vignette experiment conducted in 2024 (N = 9,417 women) across China, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United States, respondents evaluated hypothetical scenarios varying in labor-market equality, domestic labor division, workplace support, and social norms. The results reveal strong regional contrasts. In East Asia, where childbearing remains closely tied to marriage, unequal domestic labor sharply increases intentions to remain permanently childless, highlighting the importance of an incomplete second gender revolution. In Western societies, institutional and workplace support play a more central role than household inequality. These findings demonstrate that pathways to voluntary childlessness differ across cultural contexts and reflect distinct mechanisms of gender inequality underlying the global rise of childfree choices.

목차

• Introduction
  
  Literature Review
  
  The Gender Revolution Framework and Fertility Decline
  
  Household Division of Labor and Fertility Outcomes
  
  Voluntary Childlessness: Trends and Determinants
  
  Cross-National Variations in Gender–Fertility Relationships
  
  Workplace Support and Women’s Fertility Decisions
  
  Theoretical Framework and Hypotheses
  
  Method
  
  Data and Sample
  
  Vignette Experiment Design
  
  Experimental Factors and Manipulation
  
  Dependent Variables
  
  Control Variables
  
  Analytical Strategy
  
  Results
  
  Descriptive Statistics and Cross-National Patterns
  
  Effects of Household Gender Arrangements on Childlessness Intentions
  
  Effects of Workplace Support on Childlessness Intentions
  
  Robustness Checks and Sensitivity Analyses
  
  Discussion and Conclusion
  
  References