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on Demographic Economics |
| By: | Adamecz, Anna (University College London); Lovász, Anna (University of Washington Tacoma); Vujic, Suncica (University of Antwerp) |
| Abstract: | This paper looks at the relationship between higher education and fertility, focusing on how intergenerational educational mobility shapes this dynamic. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, we estimate gaps in completed fertility, distinguishing between those who are the first in their family to graduate from a university (FiF), graduates with a graduate parent, and non-graduates. Our findings reveal that while on average, graduate women have fewer children than non-graduates, this difference is driven by FiF graduates. FiF women tend to have fewer children than both non-FiF graduates and non-graduates, who exhibit similar fertility rates. The fertility gap between FiF and non-FiF graduates emerges after age 35, mainly on the extensive margin: FiF women are more likely to remain childless, but those who become mothers have an equal average number of children. Similar patterns are observed among men, although the gaps are smaller and not statistically significant. We identify child-related preferences, self-esteem, and maternal employment in childhood as potential explanations behind the FiF fertility gap, while labour market outcomes, financial constraints, partnerships, and health do not appear to play a role. These findings underscore important considerations for supporting inter-generational mobility and fertility. |
| Keywords: | first in family graduates, fertility, childlessness, inter-generational educational mobility, gender economics |
| JEL: | I26 J13 J16 J24 |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17216 |
| By: | Lassen, Anne Sophie; Ivandić, Ria |
| Abstract: | Women continue to be underrepresented in the field of economics, especially among permanent faculty. As parenthood is an important driver of gender inequality in the labor market, we study the impact of children on the academic careers of economists. We find no evidence of delayed or reduced fertility among researchers. Event study estimates reveal that both men's and women's career trajectories are affected by parenthood and face increasing attrition from universities. Men move into the broader research sector, while women leave research completely. We also find a gender gap in the promotion to tenured faculty in the years following parenthood. |
| JEL: | A11 A20 I23 J13 J16 J44 M51 |
| Date: | 2024–05–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:124310 |
| By: | Maurin, Eric (Paris School of Economics); Oliveira, Florentine (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, PSE) |
| Abstract: | In many countries, the Sixties marked a turning point in the history of women's emancipation. Using data with information on the birth order of large samples of individuals, we show that the first to be affected by this revolution were the first-born of the early 1960 s: they grew up much more often in "modern" families (two children max, working mother and significant likelihood of parental divorce) than children of higher birth orders born at the same time in other families. However, this change in family environment did not coincide with any decline in their educational or occupational achievement. |
| Keywords: | Sixties, family size, maternal employment, education |
| JEL: | J11 J12 J13 I24 |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17236 |
| By: | Albrecht, James (Georgetown University); Edin, Per-Anders (Uppsala University); Fernández, Raquel (New York University); Lee, Jiwon (New York University); Thoursie, Peter Skogman (Stockholm University); Vroman, Susan (Georgetown University) |
| Abstract: | The distribution of parental leave uptake and childcare activities continues to conform to traditional gender roles. In 2002, with the goal of increasing gender equality, Sweden added a second "daddy month, " i.e., an additional month of pay-related parental leave reserved exclusively for each parent. This policy increased men's parental leave uptake and decreased women's, thereby increasing men's share. To understand how various factors contributed to these outcomes, we develop and estimate a quantitative model of the household in which preferences towards parental leave respond to peer behavior. We distinguish households by the education of the parents and ask the model to match key features of the parental leave distribution before and after the reform by gender and household type (the parents' education). We find that changed incentives and, especially, changed social norms played an important role in generating these outcomes whereas changed wage parameters, including the future wage penalty associated with different lengths of parental leave uptake, were minor contributors. We then use our model to evaluate three counterfactual policies designed to increase men's share of parental leave and conclude that giving each parent a non-transferable endowment of parental leave or only paying for the length of time equally taken by each parent would both dramatically increase men's share whereas decreasing childcare costs has almost no effect. |
| Keywords: | parental leave, gender equality, childcare, culture |
| JEL: | D10 J16 Z10 Z18 |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17210 |
| By: | Sylvain Dessy; Luca Tiberti; Marco Tiberti; David Zoundi |
| Abstract: | Rural communities in developing countries often experience growing-season droughts – a spatially covariant income shock disrupting mutual insurance mechanisms. These communities might leverage traditional practices such as polygyny to enhance economic resilience. This is particularly effective when co-wives come from geographically dispersed kinship networks, facilitating the inflow of financial support during droughts. Analyzing data from rural Mali, we exploit the quasi-random nature of droughts and variations in polygyny rates across communities. We control for time and community fixed effects and several observable correlates of drought potentially affecting polygyny. Results show that polygyny is linked with increased financial aid from distant kin during droughts, mitigating negative effects on crop yields. Additionally, polygyny prevalence remains unaffected by negative rainfall deviations, suggesting its role as a pre-established cultural strategy for managing income shocks. Hence, public policy aiming to phase out practices like polygyny for community survival must consider these cultural dimensions of resilience strategies. |
| Keywords: | Village economies; Drought; Polygyny; Resilience strategy; Mali |
| JEL: | C12 D12 J12 J13 O55 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2024_13.rdf |