Is it “All Right” to Refuse to Have Children With One’s Spouse?

Abstract

This lecture and class activity explores Americans’ attitudes about fertility decision-making among different-sex, married couples. Instructors use the PowerPoint slides to engage students in survey research, review findings from Oslawski-Lopez and Tabor’s (2024) study and lead small- and large-group discussions about the role of gender attitudes in...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Family, Sex and Gender

Resource Type(s):

Class Activity, Lecture, PowerPoint

Class Level(s):

College 200, College 300, College 400

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

This resource includes a lecture and activity about gender, different sex married couples, and fertility decision-making developed from our recent research, “Who can refuse? Attitudes About the Fertility Decisions of Wives and Husbands” (Oslawski-Lopez and Tabor 2024).

The resource begins with a think-pair-share activity. Students record...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Participate in an activity and discussion to understand class attitudes about fertility decision-making.
2. Describe Oslawski-Lopez and Tabor’s (2024) research on fertility decision-making, including the “rules” of fertility decision-making as well as the quantitative and qualitative findings from their study.
3. Compare class attitudes to the findings and conclusions presented by Oslawski-Lopez and Tabor (2024), noting similarities and differences.
4. Expand upon Oslawski-Lopez and Tabor’s (2024) study by considering the broader implications of gendered thinking in fertility decision-making and possible avenues for future research on gendered thinking in everyday life.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Small- and large-group discussions about class attitudes related to fertility decision-making, especially as they compare to research by Oslawski-Lopez and Tabor (2024) and ways to expand upon this research.
2. Optional quiz / exam questions, with possible multiple-choice and short-answer questions provided in the usage notes.