Higher education and fertility: Evidence from a natural experiment in Ethiopia

Miron Tequamem and Nyasha Tirivayi
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Nyasha Tirivayi: UNU-MERIT
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Miron Tequame

No 2015-019, MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT)

Abstract: This paper studies the effect of women's higher education on fertility outcomes in Ethiopia. We exploit an abrupt increase in the supply of tertiary education induced by a liberalisation policy. Using an age discontinuity in the exposure to higher education reform, we find that education lowers fertility by 8% and increases the likelihood of never giving birth by 25%. We explore the role of potential underlying mechanisms and find that this negative effect on fertility is channelled through positive assortative mating and the postponement of marriage and motherhood.

Keywords: Higher Education; Fertility; Assortative Mating; Marriage; Policy Evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 I25 I38 J12 J13 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Working Paper: Higher education and fertility: Evidence from a natural experiment in Ethiopia (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unm:unumer:2015019

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