Does Money Matter? Childbearing Behaviour of Swedish Students in the 1980's and 1990's

Abstract

Education is considered to be one of the primary factors behind postponement of childbearing, as students have significantly lower fertility than non-students of the same age. The low fertility of students may have many different explanations. This study focus on the impact of economic and policy factors on the relationship between study enrolment and childbearing in Sweden. Using longitudinal data it is examined whether the student financial aid reform of 1989 had any effect on female students childbearing behaviour and whether female students relative childbearing propensi-ties change when controlling for their earned income. The results show that the reform had no noticeable impact on students childbearing behaviour. However, first birth risks for female students in all age groups are clearly related to earnings, indicating that the postponement of childbearing until completion of education is, to some degree, a matter of economic constraints.