Enfant unique ou famille nombreuse : qui s'éscarte de la norme des deux enfantes? Comparison des souhaits de fécondité en France et en Italie

To understand fertility behaviours in countries where effective methods of birth control are widely available, they must be analysed in terms of intentions and realization. In particular, what are the factors – economic, social or cultural – that lead couples to have more or fewer children than initially planned? Using comparable longitudinal data from the Generations and Gender Surveys (GGS), Arnaud RÉGNIER-LOILIER and Daniele VIGNOLI compare fertility desires in France and in Italy, two countries where couples start out with similar wishes (at least two children in the majority of cases), but where the fi nal outcomes are very different.