Volume 10 - Article 10 | Pages 265–286
Fertility and family policy in Norway - A reflection on trends and possible connections
By Marit Rønsen
Abstract
Below replacement fertility in many countries has lead to a renewed public interest in policies that may encourage young people to have more children. The Nordic countries are sometimes in focus in this respect, as their fertility rates remain relatively high in spite of very high female labour force participation. The key question is therefore whether there is a connection between generous public policies that facilitate childbearing and employment, and fertility.
Using Norway as example and reviewing existing research evidence I conclude that generous family policies may be necessary, but not sufficient, to sustain fertility at a reasonable level. In particular, adverse macroeconomic conditions and rising unemployment have counteracting effects, as demonstrated by falling fertility rates in Sweden in the mid-1990s.
Author's Affiliation
- Marit Rønsen - Statistisk sentralbyrå (Statistics Norway), Norway EMAIL
Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research
Can public policies sustain fertility in the Nordic countries?: Lessons from the past and questions for the future
Volume 22 - Article 13
Cohort fertility patterns in the Nordic countries
Volume 20 - Article 14
Fertility and Public Policies - Evidence from Norway and Finland
Volume 10 - Article 6
Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research
The big decline: Lowest-low fertility in Uruguay (2016–2021)
Volume 50 - Article 16
| Keywords:
adolescent fertility,
birth order,
fertility,
Latin America,
ultra-low fertility,
Uruguay
Cohort fertility of immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union
Volume 50 - Article 13
| Keywords:
age at first birth,
assimilation,
cohort analysis,
fertility,
immigration,
parity,
religiosity
Fertility decline, changes in age structure, and the potential for demographic dividends: A global analysis
Volume 50 - Article 9
| Keywords:
age structure,
demographic dividend,
demographic transition,
fertility,
migration,
population momentum,
working-age population
Analyzing hyperstable population models
Volume 49 - Article 37
| Keywords:
birth trajectory,
cohort analysis,
cyclical populations,
dynamic population model,
fertility,
hyperstable,
period
Ultra-Orthodox fertility and marriage in the United States: Evidence from the American Community Survey
Volume 49 - Article 29
| Keywords:
age at first marriage,
American Community Survey (ACS),
fertility,
Judaism,
marriage,
religion,
total fertility rate (TFR),
Ultra-Orthodox Judaism
Download to Citation Manager
PubMed
Google Scholar