Education and Fertility: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Karin Monstad (karin.monstad@uni.no), Carol Propper and Kjell G Salvanes
Additional contact information
Karin Monstad: Rokkan Centre, Postal: Nygårdsgt. 5, N-5015 Bergen, Norway, http://rokkan.uni.no/people/?/$present&id=389

No 05/08, Working Papers in Economics from University of Bergen, Department of Economics

Abstract: In many developed countries a decline in fertility has occurred. This development has been attributed to greater education of women. However, establishing a causal link is difficult as both fertility and education have changed secularly. The contribution of this paper is to study the connection between fertility and education over a woman’s fertile period focusing on whether the relationship is causal. We study fertility in Norway and use an educational reform as an instrument to correct for selection into education. Our results indicate that increasing education leads to postponement of first births away from teenage motherhood towards having the first birth in their twenties and, for a smaller group, up to the age of 35-40. We do not find, however, evidence that total fertility falls as a result of greater education.

Keywords: Analysis of Education; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 J13 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2008-03-23
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (146)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Education and Fertility: Evidence from a Natural Experiment (2008)
Working Paper: Education and Fertility: Evidence from a Natural Experiment (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:bergec:2008_005

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