Social constructed childbearing motivations and fertility intentions: theories integration and empirical evidence

This paper begins from the premise that motivations for having (or not having) children are not fixed or purely personal, but socially constructed. These socially shaped motivations influence how young adults approach the prospect of parenthood and ultimately shape their fertility intentions. Yet existing research lacks a theoretical framework that clarifies how social influences on motivation become the psychological mechanisms driving such intentions and subsequent behaviors. We address this gap by integrating Self-Determination Theory with the Theory of Planned Behavior, proposing that socio-cognitive factors - attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control - affect fertility intentions not directly but through the type of motivation they foster, whether intrinsic, extrinsic, or amotivated. Using nationally representative survey data on Italian young adults and structural equation modeling, we show that fertility intentions depend less on socio-cognitive factors themselves and more on the motivational orientations they generate. Intrinsic motives are associated with stronger intentions, whereas extrinsic and amotivated forms correspond to weaker or absent commitments. These findings underscore the importance of considering motivational type in fertility research and demonstrate the value of a TPB-SDT integrated framework for explaining variation in fertility intentions across individuals and social contexts.