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The Effects of Immigration on Household Services, Labour Supply and Fertility

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  • Agnese Romiti

Abstract

Fertility and female labour force participation are no longer negatively correlated in developed countries. At the same time, increased immigration affects supply and prices of household services, which are relevant to fertility and employment decisions. This paper analyses the effect of immigration on labour supply and fertility of native women in the UK. Adopting an instrumental variable approach, I find that immigration increases female labour supply without affecting fertility. My results show that immigration increases the size of the childcare sector, and reduces its prices, suggesting that immigrants may ease the trade‐off between working and child rearing among native women.

Suggested Citation

  • Agnese Romiti, 2018. "The Effects of Immigration on Household Services, Labour Supply and Fertility," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 80(4), pages 843-869, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:obuest:v:80:y:2018:i:4:p:843-869
    DOI: 10.1111/obes.12225
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    Cited by:

    1. Emanuele Forlani & Elisabetta Lodigiani & Concetta Mendolicchio, 2021. "Natives and migrants in home production: the case of Germany," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1275-1307, December.
    2. R.D. Mariani & F. C. Rosati, 2022. "Immigrant supply of marketable child care and native fertility in Italy," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 88(4), pages 503-533, December.
    3. Nakamura, Nobuyuki & Suzuki, Aya, 2023. "Impact of foreign domestic workers on the fertility decision of households: evidence from Hong Kong," Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 89(1), pages 105-135, March.
    4. Cortés, Patricia, 2023. "Immigration, household production, and native women’s labor market outcomes: A survey of a global phenomenon," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    5. Escarce, José J. & Rocco, Lorenzo, 2021. "Effect of immigration on depression among older natives in Western Europe," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    6. Adam Ka-Lok Cheung & Erin Hye-Won Kim, 2022. "Domestic Outsourcing in an Ultra-Low Fertility Context: Employing Live-in Domestic Help and Fertility in Hong Kong," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(4), pages 1597-1618, August.
    7. Amaia Palencia-Esteban, 2022. "Immigration, childcare and gender differences in the Spanish labor market," Working Papers 610, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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