[Life with children: desire and reality].

Abstract

This article is a summary of a larger study designed to analyze the desire for children, reproductive behavior, and family formation in Austria, as well as the consequences of family formation for the living conditions of women. The findings of the study are also published in a 1985 book edited by R. Munz. Data for the study are from interviews conducted in 1978 and 1981-1982 with 2,000 women who had married in 1974 or 1977. Additional in-depth interviews were carried out with 40 women. Findings are presented regarding "desired family size and number of children; employment of women and mothers; the every-day lives of women and the division of labor in the family; patterns of relations in the family; contraception and family planning; [and] perspectives on family policy." (summary in ENG)