Estimating the percentage of men who are childfree using the National Survey of Family Growth: A comment on Bozick (2023)

IF 3.4 1区社会学 Q1 FAMILY STUDIES

Journal of Marriage and Family Pub Date : 2025-03-10 DOI:10.1111/jomf.13092

Zachary P. Neal, Jennifer Watling Neal

{"title":"Estimating the percentage of men who are childfree using the National Survey of Family Growth: A comment on Bozick (2023)","authors":"Zachary P. Neal, Jennifer Watling Neal","doi":"10.1111/jomf.13092","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Objective</h3>\n \n <p>This comment aims to clarify trends in the percentage of men in the United States who are childfree (i.e., do not have and do not want children).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>Bozick (2023, <i>Journal of Marriage and Family</i>, <i>85</i>(1), 293–304) used data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to examine trends in the percentage of men who are childfree during the first two decades of the 2000s, concluding that there was a considerable increase. However, these percentages were computed incorrectly.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Method</h3>\n \n <p>Data from the NSFG are reanalyzed, ensuring comparable sample universes by age, correctly applying sampling weights, and including data from 2002.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Following a small decline between 2006 and 2015 (10.7%–12.1%), the percent of men who were childfree between 2015 and 2019 (14.2%–15.7%) returned to the levels observed in 2002 (14.3%).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>Bozick's (2023, <i>Journal of Marriage and Family</i>, <i>85</i>(1), 293–304) original conclusion that the percentage of men who are childfree has grown considerably is inconsistent with these revised analyses.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Implications</h3>\n \n <p>Childfree men, and childfree adults in general, are a large and understudied demographic group that warrants greater attention, but researchers should exercise caution when studying trends in childfree prevalence.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":48440,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Marriage and Family","volume":"87 4","pages":"1763-1766"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Marriage and Family","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.13092","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

This comment aims to clarify trends in the percentage of men in the United States who are childfree (i.e., do not have and do not want children).

Background

Bozick (2023, Journal of Marriage and Family, 85(1), 293–304) used data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to examine trends in the percentage of men who are childfree during the first two decades of the 2000s, concluding that there was a considerable increase. However, these percentages were computed incorrectly.

Method

Data from the NSFG are reanalyzed, ensuring comparable sample universes by age, correctly applying sampling weights, and including data from 2002.

Results

Following a small decline between 2006 and 2015 (10.7%–12.1%), the percent of men who were childfree between 2015 and 2019 (14.2%–15.7%) returned to the levels observed in 2002 (14.3%).

Conclusions

Bozick's (2023, Journal of Marriage and Family, 85(1), 293–304) original conclusion that the percentage of men who are childfree has grown considerably is inconsistent with these revised analyses.

Implications

Childfree men, and childfree adults in general, are a large and understudied demographic group that warrants greater attention, but researchers should exercise caution when studying trends in childfree prevalence.

查看原文本刊更多论文

利用全国家庭增长调查估计无子女男性的比例：对Bozick（2023）的评论

本评论旨在澄清美国无子女（即没有孩子也不想要孩子）男性比例的趋势。Bozick （2023, Journal of Marriage and Family, 85(1), 293-304）使用来自全国家庭增长调查（NSFG）的数据，研究了21世纪头20年无子女男性比例的趋势，得出结论，这一比例有相当大的增长。然而，这些百分比计算有误。方法重新分析来自NSFG的数据，确保样本宇宙按年龄进行比较，正确应用抽样权重，并包括2002年的数据。在2006年至2015年（10.7%-12.1%）小幅下降之后，2015年至2019年（14.2%-15.7%）无子女男性的比例恢复到2002年（14.3%）的水平。Bozick （2023, Journal of Marriage and Family, 85(1), 293-304）最初的结论是，没有孩子的男性比例已经大大增加，这与这些修订后的分析不一致。无子女男性，以及一般的无子女成年人，是一个庞大的、研究不足的人口群体，值得更多的关注，但研究人员在研究无子女流行趋势时应谨慎行事。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of Marriage and Family Multiple-

CiteScore

12.20

自引率

6.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： For more than 70 years, Journal of Marriage and Family (JMF) has been a leading research journal in the family field. JMF features original research and theory, research interpretation and reviews, and critical discussion concerning all aspects of marriage, other forms of close relationships, and families.In 2009, an institutional subscription to Journal of Marriage and Family includes a subscription to Family Relations and Journal of Family Theory & Review.