Volume 25 - Article 6 | Pages 215–244

The contribution of increases in family benefits to Australia’s early 21st-century fertility increase: An empirical analysis

By Nick Parr

Print this page  Facebook  Twitter

 

 
Date received:09 Feb 2011
Date published:19 Jul 2011
Word count:7284
Keywords:Australia, economic conditions, education, family allowances, family benefits, family policy, family size, fertility, maternal age, maternity benefits, pronatalist policy
DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2011.25.6
 

Abstract

Between 2001 and 2008 Australia’s total fertility increased from 1.73 to 1.96. This period also saw changes to family benefits, most notably the introduction of a universal, flat-rate at birth payment and an increased subsidisation of child care. This paper analyses individual-level fertility, using data from a large-scale longitudinal survey and focusing on the effects of changes to family benefits, macroeconomic variables, entitlements to family-friendly working conditions, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. It finds the effects of the ‘Baby Bonus’ and the Child Care Rebate are slight. The effects of education, income, occupation, marital status, age and parity are significant.

Author's Affiliation

Nick Parr - Macquarie University, Australia [Email]

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

» A method for socially evaluating the effects of long-run demographic paths on living standards
Volume 31 - Article 11

» Satisfaction with life as an antecedent of fertility: Partner + Happiness = Children?
Volume 22 - Article 21

Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research

» Satisfaction with life as an antecedent of fertility: Partner + Happiness = Children?
Volume 22 - Article 21    | Keywords: Australia, education, fertility

» Women’s Labor Force Attachment and Childbearing in Finland
Special Collection 3 - Article 8    | Keywords: education, family policy, fertility

» Fertility among better-off women in sub-Saharan Africa: Nearing late transition levels across the region
Volume 46 - Article 29    | Keywords: education, fertility

» Socioeconomic differentials in fertility in South Korea
Volume 44 - Article 39    | Keywords: education, fertility

» The geographical patterns of birth seasonality in Australia
Volume 43 - Article 40    | Keywords: Australia, fertility

Articles

»Volume 25

 

Citations

 

 

Similar Articles

 

 

Jump to Article

Volume Page
Volume Article ID