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The limited effect of increasing educational attainment on childlessness trends in twentieth-century Europe, women born 1916–65

Author

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  • Eva Beaujouan
  • Zuzanna Brzozowska
  • Kryštof Zeman

Abstract

During the twentieth century, trends in childlessness varied strongly across European countries while educational attainment grew continuously across them. Using census and large-scale survey data from 13 European countries, we investigated the relationship between these two factors among women born between 1916 and 1965. Up to the 1940 birth cohort, the share of women childless at age 40+ decreased universally. Afterwards, the trends diverged across countries. The results suggest that the overall trends were related mainly to changing rates of childlessness within educational groups and only marginally to changes in the educational composition of the population. Over time, childlessness levels of the medium-educated and high-educated became closer to those of the low-educated, but the difference in level between the two better educated groups remained stable in Western and Southern Europe and increased slightly in the East.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva Beaujouan & Zuzanna Brzozowska & Kryštof Zeman, 2016. "The limited effect of increasing educational attainment on childlessness trends in twentieth-century Europe, women born 1916–65," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 70(3), pages 275-291, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rpstxx:v:70:y:2016:i:3:p:275-291
    DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2016.1206210
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    Cited by:

    1. Ryohei Mogi & Bruno Arpino, 2022. "The association between childlessness and voting turnout in 38 countries," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(14), pages 397-414.
    2. Eva Beaujouan & Caroline Berghammer, 2019. "The Gap Between Lifetime Fertility Intentions and Completed Fertility in Europe and the United States: A Cohort Approach," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 38(4), pages 507-535, August.
    3. Valentina Tocchioni & Anna Rybińska & Monika Mynarska & Anna Matysiak & Daniele Vignoli, 2022. "Life-Course Trajectories of Childless Women: Country-Specific or Universal?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(5), pages 1315-1332, December.
    4. Marta Pittavino & Bruno Arpino & Elena Pirani, 2024. "Kinlessness at older ages: Prevalence and heterogeneity in 27 countries," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2024_02, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    5. Nisén, Jessica & Klüsener, Sebastian & Dahlberg, Johan & Dommermuth, Lars & Jasilioniene, Aiva & Kreyenfeld, Michaela & Lappegård, Trude & Li, Peng & Martikainen, Pekka & Neels, Karel & Riederer, Bern, 2020. "Educational differences in cohort fertility across sub-national regions in Europe," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 106201, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Jalovaara, Marika & Fasang, Anette Eva, 2017. "From never partnered to serial cohabitors: union trajectories to childlessness," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 36, pages 1703-1720.
    7. Jessica Nisén & Sebastian Klüsener & Johan Dahlberg & Lars Dommermuth & Aiva Jasilioniene & Michaela Kreyenfeld & Trude Lappegård & Peng Li & Pekka Martikainen & Karel Neels & Bernhard Riederer & Sask, 2021. "Educational Differences in Cohort Fertility Across Sub-national Regions in Europe," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 37(1), pages 263-295, March.
    8. Marika Jalovaara & Anette Fasang, 2017. "From never partnered to serial cohabitors: Union trajectories to childlessness," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(55), pages 1703-1720.
    9. Marika Jalovaara & Gerda Neyer & Gunnar Andersson & Johan Dahlberg & Lars Dommermuth & Peter Fallesen & Trude Lappegård, 2019. "Education, Gender, and Cohort Fertility in the Nordic Countries," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 35(3), pages 563-586, July.
    10. Zuzanna Brzozowska & Eva Beaujouan & Kryštof Zeman, 2022. "Is Two Still Best? Change in Parity-Specific Fertility Across Education in Low-Fertility Countries," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(5), pages 2085-2114, October.
    11. Florianne C. J. Verkroost & Christiaan W. S. Monden, 2022. "Childlessness and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Is There Evidence for a U-shaped Pattern?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(3), pages 319-352, August.
    12. Valentina Tocchioni & Anna Rybińska & Monika Mynarska & Anna Matysiak & Daniele Vignoli, 2021. "Life-course trajectories of childless women: Country-specific or universal?," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2021_01, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    13. Øystein Kravdal, 2021. "Sex Differences in Childlessness in Norway: Identification of Underlying Demographic Drivers," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 37(4), pages 1023-1041, November.
    14. Anna Rybińska, 2020. "A Research Note on the Convergence of Childlessness Rates Between Women with Secondary and Tertiary Education in the United States," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(5), pages 827-839, November.
    15. Jonas Wood & Leen Marynissen & Jessica Nisén & Peter Fallesen & Karel Neels & Alessandra Trimarchi & Lars Dommermuth & Ruben Van Gaalen & Martin Kolk & Pekka Martikainen, 2021. "Regional variation in women’s education-fertility nexus in Northern and Western Europe," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2021-021, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    16. Ryohei Mogi & Michael Dominic del Mundo, 2020. "Decomposing changes in first birth trends: Quantum, timing, or variance," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 18(1), pages 167-184.
    17. Jessica Nisén & Sebastian Klüsener & Johan Dahlberg & Lars Dommermuth & Aiva Jasilioniene & Michaela Kreyenfeld & Trude Lappegård & Peng Li & Pekka Martikainen & Karel Neels & Bernhard Riederer & Sask, 2019. "Educational differences in cohort fertility across sub-national regions in Europe," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2019-018, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    18. Victor Antunes Leocádio & Ana Paula Verona & Adriana Miranda-Ribeiro, 2022. "Contributions of Sociodemographic Changes to the Increase in Permanent Childlessness in Brazil: A Cohort Decomposition Analysis," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(5), pages 1951-1973, October.

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