| Date Received: | 07 February 2000 |
| Date Published: | 17 April 2000 |
Abstract:
On the background of the dramatic swings in the Swedish TFR since the mid-1980s we present
a first attempt at assessing the impact of labor-market trends on the timing of the first
birth based on individual-level register data covering all Swedish women born in 1950 or
later. Among our covariates we have each woman's income, partitioned into any income earned
from work, any unemployment benefits, and any public support for educational activities. We
also have employment trends in her home municipality. The latter variables are included for
every relevant year. We find that first-birth rates rose and fell in step with municipal
employment levels. The effect is especially strong for young women, and the decline in first
birth during the 1990s was concentrated primarily among women aged below 30. First-birth
rates increased with a woman's earned income. Unemployed women did not have particularly
low first-birth rates, but students did.
Author's affiliation:
Britta Hoem is with Statistics Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
Table of Contents:
| 1 |
|
Introduction |
| 2 |
|
Data and method of analysis |
| 3 |
|
Theoretical and practical issues |
| 4 |
|
Trends in first births |
| 5 |
|
The impact of employment trends |
| 6 |
|
The effect of labor-market attachment |
| 7 |
|
The individual woman's labor-market situation |
| 8 |
|
The effect of public policies |
| 9 |
|
Acknowledgements |
|
|
References |
|
|
Tables |
|
|
Figures |
Keywords: fertility, fertility decline, fertility determinants, Sweden
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