The Chore Divide: How Gender Equality at Home Shapes Baby Plans

Amir Erfani

 

Date: March 26, 2025

Time: 14:00

Location: Faculty of Business Administration, A101

 

Abstract

Did you know that two-thirds of the world’s population live in countries where women are having fewer than 2.1 children on average? This trend of low fertility can lead to challenges like aging populations, labor shortages, and increased pressure on healthcare systems. Addressing these issues requires a better understanding of what influences people’s decisions about having children.

In this talk, Dr. Erfani will share the findings from his recent study that explores how the division of housework between partners affects women’s intentions to have children. He will also look at how factors like employment and education level play a role in shaping these decisions.

 

Biography

Dr. Amir Erfani is Professor of Demography and Sociology at Nipissing University (Ontario, Canada), where he teaches courses on population studies, demography, and quantitative methods. He earned his PhD. and completed post-doctoral research at Western University in Canada in 2007, with expertise in social and technical demography and quantitative methods. Throughout his career, Dr. Erfani has focused on studying key issues related to childbearing, fertility, reproductive health, family dynamics, and health inequalities, particularly in Iran, Canada, and Turkey. His recent projects focus on investigating low fertility and fertility intentions in relation to family transformation, gender inequality and uncertainty.

Dr. Erfani has published widely in various academic journals across the fields of demography, sociology, health, and medicine, including Nature Scientific Reports, BMC Public Health, PLOS ONE, Studies in Family Planning, International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Family Issues, and many others. His recent project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, investigates how changes in intimate relationships between couples affect fertility. Some of the findings from this project will be shared in today’s talk.