@article{Trimarchi_55_26,
author = {Trimarchi, Alessandra and Berghammer, Caroline and Steiber, Nadia and Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf},
title={{Educational pairings, partners’ economic resources, and second births in Austria}},
journal = {Demographic Research},
volume = {55},
number = {26},
pages = {847--908},
doi = {10.4054/DemRes.2026.55.26},
year = {2026},
abstract = {Background: Fertility research has highlighted the importance of analyzing both partners’ characteristics as determinants of fertility behavior, especially when examining the role of socioeconomic resources. However, due to a lack of adequate data, couple-level fertility research is relatively scarce. 

Objective: We examined the role of educational pairings in different-sex couples for the occurrence and timing of second births in Austria, with a focus on the role of partners’ income. 

Methods: We used register data from the period 2000–2021, and we applied a cure model to differentiate between factors associated with the occurrence and timing of second births. 

Results: Homogamous couples with at least medium education are more likely to have a second child relative to their lower-educated counterparts. Medium-educated couples have longer birth intervals relative to both lower- and tertiary-educated couples. Results did not change when controlling for partners’ joint income. When we controlled for relative income in the medium–tertiary combination, hypogamous (the woman more educated than the man) couples were more likely to have a second child than their hypergamous (the man more educated than the woman) counterparts. 

Conclusions: Findings highlight that the economic dimension of education, as captured by partners’ joint and relative income, is not sufficient to explain differences between educational pairings in the occurrence and timing of second births in Austria. 

Contribution: We examined whether the association between couples’ educational pairing and the occurrence and timing of second births is accounted for by partners’ joint or relative income. Moreover, we used register data, allowing for precise measures of educational pairings and partners’ earnings. },
URL = {https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol55/26/},
eprint = {https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol55/26/55-26.pdf}
}