Education and Fertility: A Review of Recent Research in Europe

This paper reviews research on education and childbearing in Europe over the last decade. Early demographic research attributed declining fertility in advanced economies in the second half of the twentieth century to increasing female educational levels. The twenty-first century has witnessed furthe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comparative population studies Vol. 48; pp. 553 - 588
Main Authors: Vasireddy, Sindhu, Berrington, Ann, Kuang, Bernice, Kulu, Hill
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Wiesbaden Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) 01.01.2023
Federal Institute for Population Research
Subjects:
20th century
Attainment
Attitudes
Childbearing
Childbirth & labor
Economic policy
Education
Educational attainment
Europa
europe
Family policy
Fertility
Fertility quantum
Fertility timing
Macroeconomics
Selfselection
Europe
ISSN:1869-8980, 1869-8999, 1869-8999
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This paper reviews research on education and childbearing in Europe over the last decade. Early demographic research attributed declining fertility in advanced economies in the second half of the twentieth century to increasing female educational levels. The twenty-first century has witnessed further increases in educational attainment coupled with trend reversals in fertility. The relationship between education and fertility has become more complex, sparking renewed interest in the interplay between the two life domains. We examine how educational enrolment and attainment influence individuals’ fertility behaviour – both fertility timing and level – and how the relationship between education and fertility is shaped by contextual factors such as family policies, macroeconomic shocks, and normative changes in gender attitudes. We also summarise the recent literature on educational gradients in male fertility and review methodological developments to address issues of self-selection and unmeasured heterogeneity in the study of education and fertility. Finally, this paper identifies and discusses challenges and important areas for future research.
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ISSN:1869-8980
1869-8999
1869-8999
DOI:10.12765/CPoS-2023-21