Journal Article

Fertility differences by education in Britain and France: the role of religion

By Nitzan Peri Rotem

Publication details

Publication date
Published in
Population
Volume
75
Pages
pp. 9–36
Publisher
Institut National d'Etudes Demographiques
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3917/popu.2001.0009
ISSN
324663
University of Essex, Albert Sloman Library Periodicals *restricted to University of Essex registered users*

Summary

Among the many determinants of fertility studied in developed countries, educational attainment and religious affiliation are important and opposing factors. While fertility levels rise with religious affiliation, they fall with women’s education levels. The combined effect of these two characteristics is uncertain. Does religious affiliation attenuate the effect of educational attainment? Does education mitigate the effect of religion? Do these relationships vary across cultural contexts? To answer these questions, this article examines the entry into parenthood and completed fertility of cohorts of women born between the 1920s and 1960s in the United Kingdom and France according to their religious affiliation and practice and their level of education.

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