In many low-fertility societies, fertility debates increasingly centre on gender equality, yet research has produced inconsistent findings on how gender relates to fertility ideals and intentions. Mental health has also become a growing concern and is itself shaped by gender, but it has rarely been integrated into fertility research. This thesis proposes that fertility ideals are shaped not only by gender beliefs, but also by the psychological resources available to act on them. Using person-centred methods and survey data from Europe, Australia, China, and Germany, it examines how configurations of gender ideology and mental health are associated with fertility ideals across countries, life course stages, and couples. Across four papers, the thesis maps cross-national gender identity profiles, examines joint profiles of gender ideology and mental health in relation to fertility ideals in China, traces their transitions around childbirth in Australia, and analyses how partners’ combined profiles are associated with concordance in fertility ideals in Germany. This seminar presentation will serve as Xiaoxian’s confirmation of candidature.

Xiaoxian Qiu is a first-year PhD student in the School of Demography at the Australian National University. Her research focuses on gender dynamics in families, with a particular interest in fertility ideation across different social contexts. She currently applies advanced latent variable methods to explore these questions. Before starting her PhD, she completed a Master of Social Research (Advanced) at the Australian National University, with a thesis examining how child-rearing motivations and gender ideologies predict fertility ideals in China.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://anu.zoom.us/j/83873550469?pwd=u5NmcuzrPEp4euXUkpxdW6n3VaywlW.1

Meeting ID: 838 7355 0469

Password: 232267