Latent Class of Child-Rearing Values and Their Relationships With Fertility

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the subgroups of child-rearing values and the patterns of the proportions of the subgroups across OECD countries. It also examines the relationships between the proportions of these subgroups and the total fertility rates (TFRs) of the countries concerned. To this end, the study used data from 16 OECD countries collected during the 7th wave of the World Values Survey and employed Latent Class Analysis. The main findings of the study are as follows. First, three distinct classes of child-rearing values were identified: Huckleberry Finn, Miranda Priestly, and Cleo. Second, a variety of patterns were observed in the proportions of the three classes of child-rearing values across 16 OECD countries. Third, the proportions of Cleo were found to be positively associated with TFR, while those of Huckleberry Finn and Miranda Priestly were found to be negatively associated with TFRs. Based on these findings and limitations, directions for future research and implications for practice were suggested.