Exploring influences impacting on Taiwanese women’s decision to have children: implications for nurses and midwives
Creators: name: Chen, Shuling
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024

description: Background<br>Taiwan currently has one of lowest birth rates in the world and is predicted to lead to ‘zero or negative population growth’ in the foreseeable future. Despite many incentives and policies being implemented to encourage Taiwanese women to have a child, the birth rate still remains low.<br><br>Aim<br>This study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the personal, social, and cultural factors influencing Taiwanese women’s motherhood decision-making. In addition, this study aimed to provide knowledge about what factors enable or constrain Taiwanese women to have children, which may inform strategies for more fully informed decision-making in light of cultural and contemporary issues.<br><br>Methodology<br>Grounded theory was used to understand the influencing factors contributing to Taiwanese women’s decision making to have a child. Semi-structured interviewing from first time mothers and theoretical sampling were applied to recruit participants until data saturation was achieved with 34 participants in Taipei, Taiwan. Constant comparative analysis with open, axial, and selective coding was used to generate a substantive theory of Taiwanese women decision making to have children process.<br><br>Findings<br>The finding indicated the influencing factors of Taiwanese women’s decision making to have children. From this the core category, ‘balancing between having children and maintaining the quality of life’, integrates all categories and incorporates the process of Taiwanese women’s decision making to have children. Causal conditions included cultural norms and being a woman. Living with invisible pressure to have children was identified as phenomena. Childbearing and quality of life, and woman’s attitudes toward having children were emerged as context. Weighing up the choices, husband’s attitudes toward children, age and personal choices were found as intervening conditions which influenced their decision-making and coping strategies. Path to childbearing, making the alternative decision to have children and maintaining the quality of life were the strategies for decision-making and coping. Balancing between having children and maintaining the quality of life was the consequences of strategies for decision-making.<br><br>Discussion<br>The process of how women seek to balance between having children and maintaining their quality of life when making a decision to have children has not been previously addressed. The influences were identified as childbearing attitudes in contemporary Taiwan which included persistent traditional role of being women, and Confucian values of filial piety and social pressures. Moreover, women’s education attainment empowers them to be autonomous. Financial circumstance and pursuing the better quality of life were identified as two of key factors when they made a decision to have children<br><br>Recommendations<br>For research, there is a need to explore Taiwanese women’s decision to have a second or third child, husband’s attitudes towards childbearing, women’s views in relation to childless, or termination need to be investigated.<br><br>Conclusion, this grounded theory study demonstrates the process of ‘balancing between having children and maintaining the quality of life’ when women made a decision to have children or became pregnant and decided to continue their pregnancy. These findings from this study extend the understanding of the real situation of Taiwanese women’s decision making to have children. <br>