Fertility is often viewed as a feminine domain due to the greater social and health
consequences childbearing poses for women. However, empirical evidence finds that males often
have power over fertility decision-making, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. I conceptualize
fertility intentions as reflections of men’s and women’s influence and use multiple constructs
(general intentions, partner-specific intentions, and expectations) to estimate the relative strength
of male and female intentions to predict pregnancy and several proximate determinants of
fertility in Malawi. I find that while female intentions are stronger predictors of pregnancy and
condom use when measured by expectations, the findings for general and partner-specific
intentions are mixed. Regardless of construct, male intentions are stronger predictors of sexual
frequency while female intentions more strongly predict hormonal contraception use. The results
underscore the need to consider various measures of fertility intentions for both men and women
to gain a greater understanding of fertility decision-making