Women's education and fertility in Spain : the impact of education level and education choice on first, second and third births

Abstract

Applying event history models to data from the Spanish Family and Ferlity Survey, this book tries to provide an answer to the specific research question about whether all women forgo and/or delay motherhood in Spain as the result of better education and improved career opportunities in recent decades, or whether women''s demographic behavior differs depending on their education. The research shows that the level of education does not necessarily lead to abandon motherhood. As important as the level, is the type because the choice of a specific field of study is subject to individual preferences about a desired life style, in which women show a particular orientation towards family life, irrespective of their education level. More precisely, those studies concerned with the care of individuals and/or emphasizing interpersonal skills positively influence fertility in Spain. This book, therefore, demonstrates that as a growing proportion of women spend more years in education and their education attainment also increases, the role of qualitative variables such as the field of study becomes more relevant.