Couples’ careers and fertility. An event-history analysis of the ECHP samples of Denmark, Italy, Spain, and United Kingdom

Pau Baizán, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

This paper investigates the effects on fertility of the combined labour force participation of both partners of a couple, and specifically the effects of unemployment, temporary contracts and part-time. These effects are shown to be highly dependent on the national institutions and on specific labour market regulations. A longitudinal sample of the European Community Household Panel is used for the analyses, concerning the years 1993-2000. Event-history methods are used, where the processes of labour market participation and fertility are modelled simultaneously. The results show that women experiencing job instability have lower fertility, while women working part-time or in the public sector have higher birth rates. Men’s employment combined with housewifery has a positive impact on second births in United Kingdom and Italy, while in Denmark the impact is negative. In Spain, temporary jobs or unemployment of one or both members of the couple have a strong depressing impact on fertility.