Genetic influences on childbearing motivation: a theoretical framework and some empirical evidence.

This chapter attempts to expand our understanding of the biological underpinnings that motivate us for parenthood. In the first section the authors develop their theoretical framework in three steps discussing social bonding in higher mammals the neural systems regulating parental behavior and the motivating forces that underlie human childbearing. "In the second section of the chapter we report some empirical evidence regarding genetic influence on childbearing motivation. First we offer the rationale behind our selection of particular genes for study. Next we describe our methodology in an ongoing investigation into the antecedents of human reproductive behavior. This is followed by the presentation of our results. The section concludes with an integrative discussion and interpretation of these results." (EXCERPT)