Determinats of Fertility Behavior Among Self-Employed Korean Women

자영업에 종사하는 기혼여성의 출산행위에 관한 연구

The subjects used in this study were chosen from self-employed women in Taegu City, Korea, Data for 415 respondents were collected by face-to-face interviews conducted during the period of November 10 through 23, 1987. There are three major purposes in this study : first, to describe the general characteristics of self-employed Korean women's fertility behavior ; second, to examine the determinants of fertility behavior among self-employed women : third, to explore the relative importance of the fertility determinants among the women. Regression analyses were introduced to test hypotheses. Nine variables, such as household income, educational attainment, mass media, abortion, the period of contraception practice, contraceptive expenses, the number of infant, deaths marital period, and age at first marriage were introduced as indicators in the regression. The results of this study show that there are negative relationships between the dependent variable of fertility and abortion, and the period of contraception practice. On the other hand, positive relationships between the dependent variable of fertility and the number of infant deaths, and marital period and age at first marriage are shown in this study. However, the results of this study show that there are insignificant relationships between socioeconomic variables and fertility. From the results of the F test to evaluate the significance of difference in $R^2$between two different regression equations, we have found that the regression equation including both socioeconomic variables and intermediate variables is misspecified to examine the determinants of fertility behavior among self-employed Korean women. That is, the F test shows that the regression equation including only intermediate variables as indicators is the best model for this study. Finally, the relative importance of the fertility determinants among self-employed women is found as follows : Age at the first marriage is the most influential variable in the fertility, and the next important factors are abortion, the period of contraception practice, the number of infant deaths, and marital period, in that order.