Reproductive plan of women in Czechia in the context of late reproductive regime and the COVID-19 pandemic

Overview

The article focuses on short-term (up to three years) and long-term (three years and beyond) reproductive intentions of women aged 18–49 living in the Czechia.

Reproductive plans are predominantly formulated at the threshold of adulthood and only 11 % of women under 25 are unsure of their reproductive plans. In the short term, childbearing is planned with the greatest intensity at the ages of 25–29 and 30–34 (when 47 and 33 % of women plan to have a child, respectively), while for childless women the intensity of planning peaks slightly later, at the ages of 30–34 and 35–39 (planning rates of 54 and 50 %, respectively).

Older women are not giving up their desire to pursue their reproductive plans. Despite the health risks associated with motherhood at an older age, 20 % of childless women aged 40–44 plan to have their first child in the next three years or later.

In addition to age and the current number of children, short- and long-term reproductive plans also differ by women’s education, with college graduates more likely to plan to have (another) child in the short and long term than women with less education. At the same time, short-term plans are influenced by women's partnership status, and in the case of long-term reproductive plans, the influence of perceptions of the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was observed.

Keywords:

short-term reproductive plans, long-term reproductive plans, COVID-19 pandemic, late reproduction, Czech Republic