A Search for Gender Differences on Fertility-Related Attitudes: Questioning the Relevance of Sociobiology Theory for Understanding Social Psychological Aspects of Human Reproduction

Abstract

Data from 12 NORC surveys done between 1965 and 1984 were analyzed to test the hypothesis, derived from sociobiology theory, that men and women would have different attitudinal orientations toward fertility. The hypothesis that men would be more oriented toward quantity of offspring than women, as reflected in their attitudes toward abortion and ideal family size, was not supported. The effect of gender was negligible both in the absolute sense and in comparison to that of education and religiosity.