期刊名称：DIW Diskussionspapiere / Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Berlin
出版年度：2008
卷号：2008
出版社：Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Berlin
摘要：The aim of this paper is to investigate the hypothesis that after leaving the
educational system, labour market integration has a causal effect on first-birth
decisions. The analysis focuses on two major research questions: First, how is
the timing of first parenthood associated with previous labour market
performance? Second, can differences in first birth-risks be related to labour
market performance? In other words, to what extent do the fertility decisions of
successfully integrated individuals differ from those who are poorly integrated
into the labour force? To account for the impact of cross-national differences
in institutional settings, I contrast the continental conservative German
welfare state with the liberal market economy of the UK. To account for
gender-specific differences in opportunity costs, I distinguish between men and
women in this analysis. Using longitudinal micro-data from the SOEP and BHPS, I
apply a piecewise constant exponential hazard model. The results show a
significantly reduced first-birth risk in the case of German men with weak
occupational integration, as well as in the case of British and German women
with pronounced labour market attachment. Furthermore, regarding the timing of
family formation, a lengthy process of occupational integration tends to delay
the transition to parenthood for both men and women, especially in Germany.
