Educational Specificity of the Effect of Public Policies on Completed Fertility

Pau Baizán, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Carlos Delclós, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

In this paper we aim at assessing to what extent completed fertility vary across contexts characterized by policies that support different gender division of labor models. We analyze key family policies and labor market factors, and additionally consider the dimension of gender norms. We argue that policies are likely to have different fertility effects across levels of education. We utilize the European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions for 16 countries and apply multi-level models combined with country-level data. We find that reduced working hours for men and gender egalitarian norms have a positive impact on fertility. Furthermore, their positive impact is greater among highly educated women. Childcare enrollment and women’s part-time also show the expected positive pattern according to education. The influence of monetary transfers is negative, with a clear negative gradient according to education.