Attitudes, values and fertility decisions in Poland

Eileen Trzcinski, Wayne State University
Irena E. Kotowska, Warsaw School of Economics

This research examines how values and attitudes of Polish women shape their fertility decisions and their subsequent decisions regarding the use of parental leave after childbirth. Specific values and attitudes examined include attitudes toward children, work, labor market opportunities, perceived labor market equality and discrimination, and attitudes towards adult children's responsibilities toward aging parents. The analyses examine whether the basic premises that form the theory behind the Second Demographic Transition can be applied to family related attitudes and behaviors in Poland. The analyses are based on the Polish Survey on Opinions on Population and Welfare, which was conducted in November/December 2001. This survey is the Polish component of the international study on Population Policy Acceptance. National data are being used for country-specific studies while comparative analyses on the international data basis are carried out under the EC project “Population Policy Acceptance Study”, coordinated by the Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung, Wiesbaden.