Baby longing and men’s reproductive motivation

Childbearing in low-fertility societies sometimes results from a strong desire to
have a(nother) child. Since women tend to dominate discussions on ‘baby
longing’ or ‘baby fever’, it is not clear whether men also feel the powerful urge to have a child. Moreover, the demographic importance of baby longing has yet to be assessed. Using cross-sectional surveys from contemporary Finland and
focusing on men, we analyse gender differences in baby longing.
Both sexes report having felt an intense longing to have a child of their own at
least once or a few times in their lives. A higher proportion of men say they have
never longed for a child, while a higher proportion of women report having felt
this longing frequently. Baby longing figures at different stages of the Traits-
Desires-Intentions-Behaviour scheme of reproductive behaviour. For a small
minority of men, longing first appears in youth. Baby longing among men most
commonly plays into childbearing desires preceding attempts to achieve
pregnancy. However, about every third man reports having first felt this longing
only when trying to have a child. Baby longing among men is unrelated to
economic and educational status, but it is associated with marital status, fertility
intentions and the number of lifetime unions. Compared to its effects on women,
baby longing among men is reported to result in having a child less often and to
have less influence on childbearing decisions. We conclude that women’s longing
shapes the couple’s fertility behaviour to a slightly higher degree than men’s
longing does, especially with regards to higher parities. Men’s baby longing may
be especially important for sustaining proceptive behaviour and preparing for
fatherhood.