Núcleo Disca

Disability and citizenship

Attitudes Toward Motherhood and Fertility Preservation Among University Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Heidy Kaune, Martina Yopo, Fanny Petermann-Rocha, Florencia Herrera y Fernando Zegers-Hochschild

Key points:

  • In Chile, fewer and fewer children are being born. In 1962, women had an average of 5 children. Today, that number has dropped to just over 1 child per woman.
  • This research aims to understand how university women see their reproductive future, their intention to become mothers, and their willingness to preserve their fertility by freezing their eggs. 
  • A self-administered and semi-structured survey was conducted with 1,020 students from Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago. The average age was 21 years. Most of the women believe that before becoming mothers, they should finish their studies, have a stable job, and be able to support themselves with their own income.
  • For many university women, becoming a mother is not a current priority. They think of motherhood as something that could happen later, when they feel more prepared. Also, only a small group believes it is necessary to have a partner or be married to have children.
  • Teen pregnancies have also decreased, which is related to better access to contraceptives and better sex education. This has given women more freedom to decide about motherhood.
  • The study highlights the need for public policies on reproduction and family planning that are adapted to the new realities and priorities of Chilean women.

 

Notes:

  • The following summary was prepared by Núcleo Milenio DISCA and is based exclusively on the original publication. Therefore, it should not be used for citations or references.
  • This article was originally published in Spanish.

Kaune G., Heidy, Yopo D., Martina, Petermann-Rocha, Fanny, Herrera O., Florencia, & Zegers-Hochschild, Fernando. (2025). Actitudes frente a la maternidad y la preservación de la fertilidad en mujeres universitarias: Un estudio transversal. Revista médica de Chile, 153(1), 11-21. Epub 20 de marzo de 2025.https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/s0034-98872025000100011

https://www.revistamedicadechile.cl/index.php/rmedica/article/view/11046