Too many men? Subnational population imbalances and men's childlessness in Finland

Bibliographic Data

ID5145187
AuthorsHenrik-Alexander Schubert (0000-0003-0229-9352, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research), Christian Dudel (0000-0002-2985-6684, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research)
Year2025
Pages1-21
Publication date2025-07-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePopulation Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-4728 • E-ISSN: 1477-4747
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00324728.2025.2534876
PMID40726431
OpenAlexW4412725895
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited98

Men’s childlessness is increasing in many high-income countries. In Finland, 29 per cent of all men aged 45 were childless in 2022. The cause of these high levels of childlessness is unclear. In this paper, we use rich Finnish population register data to examine whether sex imbalances in regional partner markets are a potential driver of men’s childlessness. Partner markets are imbalanced in a given region if there is a surplus of men relative to women or vice versa. The data generally show an increasingly imbalanced partner market situation for men over time but with considerable regional heterogeneity. Individual-level regression results for men born in 1968–75 (N = 194,080) indicate an increased probability of childlessness at age 45 after extended exposure to imbalanced partner markets over the life course. This association is particularly strong for low-income men. These findings are robust across indicators and specifications. Overall, regional context seems to play a crucial role in the risk of childlessness

Childlessness · Context (archaeology) · Demographic economics · Economics · Fertility · Geography · Population · Sociology · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Work-Family Balance Challenges