Publication
Open Access

Partners' educational pairings and fertility across Europe

Thumbnail Image
License
Full-text via DOI
ISBN
ISSN
Issue Date
Type of Publication
Keyword(s)
LC Subject Heading
Other Topic(s)
EUI Research Cluster(s)
Initial version
Published version
Succeeding version
Preceding version
Published version part
Earlier different version
Initial format
Citation
Families and Societies Working Paper; 2015/38; [Migration Policy Centre]
Cite
NITSCHE, Natalie, MATYSIAK, Anna, VAN BAVEL, Jan, VIGNOLI, Daniele, Partners’ educational pairings and fertility across Europe, Families and Societies Working Paper, 2015/38, [Migration Policy Centre] - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/39430
Abstract
We provide new evidence on the education-fertility relationship by using EU-SILC panel data on 17 countries to investigate how couples’ educational pairings predict their childbearing behaviour. We focus on differences in first, second and third birth rates between couples with varying combinations of partners’ education. Our results show that there are indeed important differences in how education relates to fertility depending on the education of the partner. First, homogamous highly educated couples show a distinct childbearing behaviour, at least in some countries. They tend to postpone the first birth most and display the highest transition rates to second and third births subsequently. Second, contrary to what may be expected based on conventional economic models of the family, hypergamous couples with a highly educated man and a lower educated female partner display among the lowest second and third birth transition rates across the majority of countries. Our findings underscore the relevance of interacting both partners’ education for a deeper understanding of the education-fertility relationship.
Table of Contents
Additional Information
Publisher
Version
Sponsorship and Funder Information