First a job, then a child? Subgroup variation in women’s employment-fertility link

Wood, Jonas; Neels, Karel

doi:10.1016/j.alcr.2016.09.003

Cited by 49 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…While this is likely to depress childbearing by contributing to high direct costs of children (Dettling and Kearney 2014 ; Flynn 2017 ; Mulder 2013 ), the childbearing of high-educated women might be less sensitive to such mechanisms because they are more likely to have high household income levels due to assortative mating (Esping-Andersen 2009 ; Konietzka and Kreyenfeld 2010 ). Secondly, women’s employment has recently become an important prerequisite for childbearing in most European countries (Matysiak and Vignoli 2008 ), particularly among high-educated women (Kreyenfeld and Andersson 2014 ; Wood and Neels 2017 ). Regional employment prospects (Bujard and Scheller 2017 ; Kravdal 2002 ), which tend to be better in economically more developed regions (Dunford 1996 ), are particularly important for the high-educated women.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Educational Differences in Cohort Fertility Across Sub-national Regions in Europe

et al. 2020

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Educational differences in female cohort fertility vary strongly across high-income countries and over time, but knowledge about how educational fertility differentials play out at the sub-national regional level is limited. Examining these sub-national regional patterns might improve our understanding of national patterns, as regionally varying contextual conditions may affect fertility. This study provides for the first time for a large number of European countries a comprehensive account of educational differences in the cohort fertility rate (CFR) at the sub-national regional level. We harmonise data from population registers, censuses, and large-sample surveys for 15 countries to measure women's completed fertility by educational level and region of residence at the end of the reproductive lifespan. In order to explore associations between educational differences in CFRs and levels of economic development, we link our data to regional GDP per capita. Empirical Bayesian estimation is used to reduce uncertainty in the regional fertility estimates. We document an overall negative gradient between the CFR and level of education, and notable regional variation in the gradient. The steepness of the gradient is inversely related to the economic development level. It is steepest in the least developed regions and close to zero in the most developed regions. This tendency is observed within countries as well as across all regions of all countries. Our findings underline the variability of educational gradients in women's fertility, suggest that higher levels of development may be associated with less negative gradients, and call for more indepth sub-national-level fertility analyses by education.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Educational Differences in Cohort Fertility Across Sub-national Regions in Europe

et al. 2020

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“…Research shows that migrant women are less attached to the labour force than are native women (Kil et al., 2017). The difficult access to stable employment for migrant women has been linked to strategies of becoming a parent as an alternative to developing a career (Friedman et al., 1994; McDonald, 2000; Wood and Neels, 2016), which, in turn, reduces the probability of meeting the eligibility criteria for parental leave.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental leave uptake among migrant and native mothers: Can precarious employment trajectories account for the difference?

2017

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Family policies such as parental leave schemes increasingly support the work–family balance. Low maternal employment in migrant populations raises questions on family policy uptake among mothers of migrant origin. This study documents differences in parental leave uptake between native and migrant mothers of different origin groups and generations, and assesses the extent to which precarious employment trajectories can account for these differentials. Using longitudinal data from Belgian social security registers, mixed-effects logit models of leave uptake, full-time or part-time leave uptake and the labour market position following leave are estimated for 10,976 mothers who entered parenthood between 2004 and 2010. Results indicate that uptake of parental leave is lower among mothers of migrant origin, since they fail to meet the eligibility criteria as a result of being overrepresented in unstable labour market positions. Whereas differential leave uptake can be accounted for by non-universal eligibility and precarious labour market trajectories, migrant-native differentials in part-time uptake and labour market positions following leave persist when controlling for pre-birth employment characteristics. The differential pattern of leave uptake among first-generation migrant women, in particular, is not explained by pre-birth employment characteristics, as they remain overrepresented in full-time leave, and first-generation mothers of non-European origin more frequently retreat from the labour force following leave. We conclude that difficult access to stable employment and non-universal eligibility are major factors explaining migrant-native differentials in parental leave use. As such, Belgian parental leave policies perpetuate labour market disadvantages by limiting support for work–family reconciliation to those already established in the labour force.

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“…In addition, better job opportunities for highly educated women may yield a stronger emphasis on a career as a means of uncertainty reduction and self-realisation (Friedman et al, 1994). However, later contributions-taking into account wages over the life course-indicate that among highly educated groups, particularly at young ages, considerable time investments are needed in order to enter a favourable career track with increasing returns over time (Liefbroer & Corijn, 1999;Wood & Neels, 2017). Hence, the negative impact of education on fertility through opportunity costs may be limited to the timing of the onset of childbearing.…”

Section: Educational Attainment and Fertility In Highincome Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With respect to the provision of formal childcare, it is expected that this will attract groups with higher birth intentions. This selectivity is likely to be stronger for highly educated groups as work-family compatibility may be a stronger prerequisite for continued childbearing among this group (Wood & Neels, 2017;Wood, 2019). With respect to municipal wealth, it is also assumed that selective migration occurs differently between educational groups.…”

Section: Composition Effects and Selective Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting links in the relationship between education and fertility

Wood

Klüsener

Neels

et al. 2020

Population Space and Place

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For a long time, high-income countries tended to report a negative association between female educational attainment and childbearing. Belgium was among the first countries that seemed to witness the emergence of a positive educational gradient in female fertility. It has been argued that-alongside other contextual correlates-this trend reflects the increasing availability of work-family reconciliation policies from which especially highly educated people benefit. In contrast to the sizable body of literature assessing varying educational gradients in female fertility across countries, subnational regional variation has hitherto received little attention. As a result, we study the Belgian case using unique microdata covering all residents in 2002-2005. The main focus is on the relevance of between-municipality variation in economic conditions and childcare services for understanding variation in second birth hazards by educational attainment. We show that a considerable part of the municipal variation in the educational gradient in second birth hazards reflects a positive link between fertility and childcare provisions as well as wealth for highly educated women, contrasting with lower educated groups. Our findings suggest that institutional support for families is relevant but also incurs the risk of increased social polarisation.

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First a job, then a child? Subgroup variation in women’s employment-fertility link

Cited by 49 publications

References 53 publications

Educational Differences in Cohort Fertility Across Sub-national Regions in Europe

Educational Differences in Cohort Fertility Across Sub-national Regions in Europe

Parental leave uptake among migrant and native mothers: Can precarious employment trajectories account for the difference?

Shifting links in the relationship between education and fertility

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