The International Multidimensional Fertility Index: The European Case

Jose Maria Fernandez-Crehuet, J. Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal and Ignacio Danvila del Valle
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J. Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal: University of Zaragoza
Ignacio Danvila del Valle: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal ()

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 2017, vol. 132, issue 3, No 20, 1358 pages

Abstract: Abstract We propose an index to measure the degree of ability or desire of the population in a given country to have children, via an analysis of certain factors that may have a positive or negative influence on the fertility rate of that country. Using data for the twenty-eight countries of the European Union, and Principal Components Analysis, we construct the International Multidimensional Fertility Index as a combination of four dimensions: (1) Economy and family, (2) Attitudes and habits, (3) Work–Life Balance, and (4) Policy, along with nineteen distinct variables. We find that Denmark, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are among the countries with the highest value of the index, and they also have high fertility rates within the EU. At the other end of the spectrum, Latvia, Cyprus, and Greece, are ranked in the last positions according to our index, countries that also present low values in their fertility rates. We also find a positive correlation between the value of our index and country fertility rates, an indication that our index may be capturing country differences in the conditions for bearing children, with higher values of the index indicating better conditions for childbirth and childrearing. To the extent that international data becomes available, our methodology will allow for the construction of international rankings, helpful in identifying cross-country differences in the conditions for fertility.

Keywords: Europe; International Multidimensional Fertility Index; Fertility rates; Principal components analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I31 J12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11205-016-1341-2

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