PAPER

Who is considered “fit” to have a baby? At first glance, the answer should be simple: every woman has the fundamental right to decide whether and when to have children. Yet across the world—and especially in unequal societies—some women face far greater scrutiny, stigma, and social barriers than others.

A new study by Letícia J. Marteleto (University of Pennsylvania), Sneha Kumar (Northwestern University), Luiz Gustavo Fernandes Sereno (UNICAMP), and Alexandre Gori Maia (UNICAMP) provides some of the clearest evidence to date that social approval for childbearing is deeply stratified by race, class, and other intersecting social conditions. The paper, published in the American Sociological Review, proposes the Theory of Socially Sanctioned Reproduction (TSSR), an innovative framework demonstrating that childbearing norms emerge from the interaction between the characteristics of women being evaluated and of those doing the evaluation. To test this theory, the study yielded a conjoint survey experiment with women of reproductive age in Pernambuco. Respondents assessed hypothetical profiles of married women—varying by race, occupation, age, and parity—and indicated whether each was “well-suited to become pregnant” during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The results reveal stark inequalities. Women in low-status occupations were significantly less likely to receive approval for childbearing than women in high-status jobs. Black women in low-status occupations received the lowest approval rates of all groups, yet their approval rates more than doubled when portrayed in a high-status occupation. In contrast, White women received similar levels of approval regardless of socioeconomic status. The study concludes that reproductive norms operate as a subtle but powerful form of social control, shaping who is encouraged or discouraged from becoming a parent. By uncovering these mechanisms, the research opens new pathways for policy and scholarship aimed at ensuring that all women—not just the most privileged—can exercise their fundamental right to reproduce without fear of stigma or discrimination.

Paper available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/00031224251387273