Fears and desires: a quantitative analysis of psychological, relational, and sociocultural factors in women’s desire to have children

This study aimed to examine the relationships between women’s desire to have children and their marital satisfaction, emotional state (positive and negative affect), perceived social support, and gender role attitudes. The research was conducted with 1,582 married women across seven geographical regions of Türkiye. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using a multi-center snowball sampling method. Valid and reliable scales were used (α = 0.78–0.92), and correlation and regression analyses were performed. The desire to have children was negatively correlated with marital satisfaction (r = –.112, p .05). Regression analysis revealed that egalitarian gender role attitudes were the strongest predictor, explaining 18.7% of the variance. The desire to have children cannot be explained solely by marital satisfaction or psychological well-being. Instead, it is shaped by complex mechanisms such as emotional regulation, relational needs, identity formation, and gender norms. The enhancing role of negative affect and the diminishing effect of positive affect suggest that fertility motivations go beyond conventional well-being models. Moreover, the predictive strength of egalitarian gender attitudes underscores the importance of social norms and gender equality. These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive policies that center women’s subjective experiences in addressing fertility decline.