Journal Article

Fertility and economic instability: the role of unemployment and job displacement

Publication details

Publication date
Published in
Journal of Population Economics
Volume
28
Pages
pp. 463–478
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
ISSN
9331433

Summary

In this paper, we study the separate effects of unemployment and job displacement on fertility in a sample of white collar women in Austria. Using an instrumental variable approach, we show that unemployment incidence as such has no negative effect on fertility decisions, but the very fact of being displaced from a career-oriented job has. Fertility rates for women affected by a firm closure are significantly below those of a control group, even after 6 years, and this is so irrespective of the incidence or the duration of the associated unemployment spell.

Notes

Albert Sloman Library Periodicals *restricted to Univ. Essex registered users*

Topics