DINKs, DEWKs & Co. Marriage, fertility and childlessness in the United States

Thomas Baudin, David de la Croix and Paula Gobbi

No 2012051, LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE from Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE)

Abstract: We develop a theory of marriage and fertility, distinguishing the choice to have children from the choice of the number of children. The deep parameters of the model are identified from the 1990 US Census. We measure voluntary and involuntary childlessness, and explain why (1) single women are more often childless than married women but, when mothers, their fertility are almost similar; (2) childlessness exhibits a U- shaped relationship with education for both single and married; (3) the relationship between marriage rates and education is hump-shaped. We show how family patterns have been shaped by the rise in education and wage inequality, and by the shrinking gender wage gap.

Keywords: fertility; childlessness; marriage; education; structural estimation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J11 O11 O40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-12-21
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Fertility and Childlessness in the United States (2015)
Working Paper: DINKs, DEWKs & Co. Marriage, Fertility and Childlessness in the United States (2014)
Working Paper: DINKs, DEWKs & Co. Marriage, Fertility and Childlessness in the United States (2012)
Working Paper: DINKs, DEWKs & Co. Marriage, Fertility and Childlessness in the United States (2012)
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