Social differences in the attitudes towards the timing of parenthood in Bulgaria. Results from the European Social Survey

The study focuses on the gendered nature and the influence of social positioning on of the attitudes towards the timing of motherhood and fatherhood among young adults in Bulgaria. The European Social Survey (ESS), conducted in 2018 with a sub-sample of respondents at age 15-45 years, was used in the analysis. We first studied the perceptions about the timing of motherhood and fatherhood in an international comparative perspective. Next, we ran multiple linear regression models on the ages, considered ideal, too young or old to become a mother/father. The international comparisons reveal the gendered nature of the attitudes of the timing of parenthood. The reproductive "youthfulness" of a woman is more strongly emphasised and shapes the attitudes towards the timing of motherhood in Eastern and Central European countries. The socioeconomic “maturity” of a man shapes the attitudes and the social expectations about the timing of fatherhood in Southern and Western European countries. The social positioning (social status) is associated with the differences in the attitudes towards the timing of motherhood and fatherhood. The attitudes supporting the model of “younger” parenthood prevail among the respondents with low education, living in small residential areas, and belonging to ethnic minorities. Highly educated respondents, the individuals, living in big cities and those from Bulgarian ethnicity have stronger preferences towards motherhood and fatherhood at later ages.