The Effect of Education on Fertility: Evidence from a Compulsory Schooling Reform

Kamila Cygan-Rehm and Miriam Maeder

No 121, Working Papers from Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE)

Abstract: This study analyzes the effect of education on the number of children, childlessness, and the timing of births. We use exogenous variation from a mandatory reform of compulsory schooling in West Germany to deal with the endogeneity of schooling. In contrast to studies for other developed countries, we find a significant negative effect of education on fertility. This negative effect seems to operate mainly through a postponement of first births away from the teenage years. In addition, education reduces the probability of first motherhood among women in their early 30s. We attribute these findings to the particularly high opportunity costs of child-rearing in Germany.

Keywords: fertility; education; timing of births; childlessness; educational reform (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 J13 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47 pages
Date: 2012-07
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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https://bgpe.cms.rrze.uni-erlangen.de/files/2023/0 ... Schooling-Reform.pdf First version, 2012 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The effect of education on fertility: Evidence from a compulsory schooling reform (2013)
Working Paper: The Effect of Education on Fertility: Evidence from a Compulsory Schooling Reform (2012)
Working Paper: The Effect of Education on Fertility: Evidence from a Compulsory Schooling Reform (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bav:wpaper:121_cyganrehmmaeder

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