Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/267376 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15639
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper discusses research on the relationship between fertility and women's labour force participation. It surveys methods used to obtain causal identification, and provides an overview of the evidence of causal effects in both directions. We highlight a few themes that we regard as important in guiding research and in reading the evidence. These include the importance of distinguishing between extensive and intensive margin changes in both variables; consideration not only of women's participation but also of occupational and sectoral choice and of relative earnings; the relevance of studying dynamic effects and of analysing changes across the lifecycle and across successive cohorts; and of recognizing that women's choices over both fertility and labour force participation are subject to multiple constraints. We observe that, while technological innovations in reproductive health technologies have muted the familycareer tradeoff primarily by allowing women to time their fertility, policy has not achieved as much as it might.
Subjects: 
fertility
birth spacing
abortion
ART
IVF
contraception
female labour force participation
gender wage gap
job loss
recession
JEL: 
J01
J13
O15
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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