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Economic Insecurity and Fertility: Does Income Volatility Impact the Decision to Remain a One-Child Family?

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  • Fady Mansour

    (Columbus State University)

Abstract

This study is the first to investigate the economic factors behind the recent rise of the one-child family in the United States. Using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) that runs from 1968 to 2013 and a variety of different model specifications with state and year fixed effect, including logistic regression, linear probability, and Cox proportional hazard models, the study examined the effect of absolute income volatility on the decision of having an only-child family. The study found that an increase in the standard deviation of income is associated with a decrease in the probability of having a second child for mothers who are in the second quartile of income distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Fady Mansour, 2018. "Economic Insecurity and Fertility: Does Income Volatility Impact the Decision to Remain a One-Child Family?," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 243-257, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:39:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s10834-017-9559-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-017-9559-y
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    3. Cantó, Olga & García-Pérez, Carmelo & Romaguera-de-la-Cruz, Marina, 2020. "The dimension, nature and distribution of economic insecurity in European countries: A multidimensional approach," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 44(3).
    4. C Geist & B G Everett & R G Simmons & J N Sanders & L M Gawron & K Myers & D K Turok, 2021. "Changing lives, dynamic plans: Prospective assessment of 12-month changes in pregnancy timing intentions and personal circumstances using data from HER Salt Lake," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-11, September.
    5. Mihaela Preda & Alina Mareci & Anca Tudoricu & Ana-Maria Taloș & Elena Bogan & Ana Irina Lequeux-Dincă & Iuliana Vijulie, 2020. "Defining the Concept of Family through the Lens of Fertile-Aged Women in Bucharest, Romania—between Traditionalism and Inclusion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, March.
    6. Dmitry Petrov & Marina Romaguera-de-la-Cruz, 2023. "Measuring economic insecurity with a joint income-wealth approach," Working Papers 637, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    7. Jeffrey Anvari-Clark & Theda Rose, 2023. "Financial Behavioral Health and Investment Risk Willingness: Implications for the Racial Wealth Gap," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-29, May.
    8. Olga Cantó & Carmelo García-Pérez & Marina Romaguera de la Cruz, 2021. "Multidimensional Measures of Economic Insecurity in Spain: The Role of Aggregation and Weighting Methods," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 238(3), pages 29-60, September.

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