Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/268055 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Papers No. 979
Publisher: 
Statistics Norway, Research Department, Oslo
Abstract: 
This study examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on fertility in Norway at the individual level. Studies using data at the macro level have found a positive short-term effect of the pandemic on fertility level in Norway, but women's fertility response to the pandemic may differ depending on their life situation. We use the first lockdown on March 12, 2020 as a marker of the pandemic and apply a regression discontinuity design to compare births of women that were conceived before the pandemic started with those conceived during the first eight months of the pandemic. The positive effect on women's fertility in Norway was mainly driven by women in life phases that have generally high fertility rates (women aged 28-35 years and women who already have children). These groups are likely to be in an economic and socially secure and stable situation in which the restrictions due to the pandemic had limited influence. Besides two exceptions, we do not find differences in the effect of the pandemic on childbearing by women's work situation. This is most likely related to the strong welfare state and the generous additional pandemic-related measures taken by the Norwegian government.
Subjects: 
fertility
demography
COVID-19
regression discontinuity design
JEL: 
J13
J11
I24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
522.99 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.