The relationship between childbearing motivations with fertility preferences and actual child number in reproductive-age women in Mashhad, Iran

INTRODUCTION: Motivation is directly involved in women's childbearing decision. Considering the lack of information about reproductive-age women's childbearing motivations with preferences and actual child number in Iran, this study was conducted to determine the relationship between childbearing motivations with the fertility preferences and actual child number of reproductive-age women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participants in this descriptive–correlational study were 844 reproductive-age women (aged 15–49 years) who were married for the first time and came from a wide range of areas in Mashhad. Multistage and convenience samplings were applied and the data were collected using Miller's childbearing motivation and fertility preferences and actual child number questionnaire. RESULTS: The results of the study reveal that positive- and negative-childbearing motivation were correlated with preferences (P < 0.001) but were not correlated with actual child number. Furthermore, the interactional variable derived by a combination of positive and negative motivations showed a significant relationship with the ideal and actual child number (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Childbearing motivations affect the fertility preferences in reproductive-age women but do not appear to have any influence on the actual child number. Furthermore, the interactional variables affect the ideal and actual child number.