Birth Expectations
of Women in the United States, 1973-88
National data on women's birth
expectations have been collected in the United States since the 1950's. Since its
inception in 1973, the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) has included questions on
the number of births women expect to have in the future. The number of children already
born to a woman, plus the additional births she expects, provide an estimate of the total
number of births she expects to have in her lifetime. Birth expectation provides an
estimate of future family size, and is a leading indicator of future trends in the birth
rate.