Motives for parenthood among couples attending a level 3 infertility clinic in the public health sector in South Africa

BACKGROUND: Most African countries are pronatalistic with high total fertility rates and a low prevalence of voluntary childlessness. At present, limited data exist relating to the reasons why men and women desire children. This study explores parenthood motives among infertile couples from an urban community in South Africa. METHODS: The parenthood-motivation list, an instrument developed in the Netherlands for the assessment of parenthood motives and strength of desire for a child, was administrated to 50 couples (100 participants) who presented to an infertility clinic in a tertiary referral centre. The instrument discerns six parenthood motives comprising happiness, well-being, identity, parenthood, continuity and social control. RESULTS: The majority of participants endorsed most of the motives. The categories happiness and parenthood were the most frequent motives. Women endorsed more motives simultaneously when compared with men. The categories happiness, well-being and social control correlated positively with strength of desire for a child. Most men and women expressed a strong desire for a child. CONCLUSIONS: Men and women desired children for many reasons and with similar intensity. This diversity and intensity of parenthood motives appears to be a reflection of the value of children in our communities and further our understanding of the implications of involuntary childlessness. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved.