Intrahousehold bargaining power, intergenerational influence, and women's fertility preferences in Indonesia: insights from longitudinal panel data

Angga Bagus Bismoko (), Dani Saputra and Najib
Additional contact information
Angga Bagus Bismoko: National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Indonesia
Dani Saputra: National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Indonesia
Najib: National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Indonesia

Journal of Population Research, 2025, vol. 42, issue 3, No 14, 45 pages

Abstract: Abstract This study examines how post-marital residence, women’s decision-making authority, and intergenerational influence shape fertility preferences in Indonesia. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (1997–2014) and fixed-effects panel models, the analysis focuses on women with unstable fertility preferences—those whose preferences vary over time. The study is framed by the Second Demographic Transition (SDT), which anticipates declining fertility and rising individual autonomy, and the Reformasi period, which reshaped household structures and gender roles. Results show that greater decision-making authority among wives is associated with lower fertility preferences, particularly when intergenerational influence is present—supporting SDT expectations. Matrilocal residence significantly reduces fertility preferences, reflecting increased female agency in the post-Reformasi era. Economic status moderates intergenerational influence: dominant parents lower fertility preferences in lower-income households, while parents-in-law reinforce pronatalist norms in economically dependent families. However, these influences weaken in wealthier households, where couples exert greater autonomy. The findings highlight how fertility preferences are shaped by the interplay of autonomy, intergenerational dynamics, and economic conditions across the life course. This study contributes to SDT literature by demonstrating how macro-level social transitions—such as changing family structures and evolving gender roles—are expressed in household-level fertility decisions in a developing country context.

Keywords: Women’s fertility preferences; Decision-making authority; Family dynamics; Intergenerational influence; Indonesia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 J12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12546-025-09388-9 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:joprea:v:42:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s12546-025-09388-9

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.springer ... tudies/journal/12546

DOI: 10.1007/s12546-025-09388-9

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Population Research is currently edited by Santosh Jatrana, Dharmalingam Arunachalam, Aude Bernard, Vladimir Canudas-Romo, Ann Evans, Michael Haan, Brian Houle, Trude Lappegård and Gordon Carmichael

More articles in Journal of Population Research from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().