MPIDR Working Paper

Subjective biology: how perceived fecundity influences relationship satisfaction and stability

Büyükkeçeci, Z., Kühn, M., Håberg, S. E., Høst Ramlau-Hansen, C., Myrskylä, M.

MPIDR Working Paper WP-2024-012, 47 pages.
Rostock, Max-Planck-Institut für demografische Forschung (Juni 2024)

DOI:10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2024-012

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Abstract

Objective: This study investigates how perceived own fecundity and that of the partner are related to life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and union dissolution.

Background: Across many high-income countries, fertility has been gradually moving to ages at which fecundity starts to decline. This delay in reproductive timing can have profound implications for individuals' fertility outcomes, increasing the risk of either voluntary or involuntary childlessness. In a context that is characterized by late childbearing, perceived fecundity, both one’s own and that of the partner, may emerge as an important determinant of individuals' overall satisfaction and the dynamics of their romantic relationships.

Method: Using 13 waves of longitudinal data from the German Family Panel (pairfam), we employ individual fixed-effects models to examine within-person changes in perceived fecundity, both one’s own and that of the partner, and their consequences for satisfaction and relationship outcomes. 

Results: Declines in perceived fecundity, for both oneself and one's partner, were associated with reductions in life and relationship satisfaction. A key finding is that the partner's perceived fecundity, as rated by the anchor, had a stronger impact on relationship outcomes than the anchor’s own perceived fecundity. Additionally, an increase in the risk of union dissolution was observed with a decline in the partner's perceived fecundity, while such an association was not found with one's own perceived fecundity. Our analysis revealed no significant gender differences in these associations. Additional analyses, in which we interacted perceived fecundity with parental status and age, showed that the relationship between perceived fecundity and outcomes was weaker among parents than among childless individuals, and decreased with age.

Conclusion: The study contributes to the literature on fertility dynamics and their social implications by highlighting the role of subjective perceptions of one’s own fecundity and that of the partner in shaping life satisfaction and relationship resilience.