Female education, fertility rate, and childcare in Europe: Evidence from the Generations and Gender Survey

The negative relation between women’s educational attainment and fertility has been documented by a large number of studies. However, recent research provides evidence of an emerging positive pattern in countries where childcare coverage is high. Using the first wave of the Generations and Gender Survey, this paper investigates the relationship between fertility and education in Europe from two different perspectives: its evolution over time and the role of childcare availability and use in shaping it. Using a descriptive approach, complemented with a Linear Probability Model, we find that the relationship is indeed flattening across birth cohorts. In addition, drawing on recent literature of fertility, we focus on second birth rates and explore the impact of both the use and the availability of childcare facilities. Multilevel model estimates show that childcare is an important determinant of second birth rates, especially for higher educated women.Master [120] en sciences économiques, orientation générale, Université catholique de Louvain, 2017La diffusion de ce mémoire n'est pas autorisée par l'institutio