IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ctl/louvde/v91y2025i1p1-48.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gendered fertility intentions and child schooling: insights on the quantity–quality trade-off from Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Eva BOONAERT

    (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven)

  • Kaat VAN HOYWEGHEN

    (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven)

  • Ashenafi DUGUMA FEYISA

    (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven)

  • Peter GOOS

    (Department of Biostatistics, KU Leuven)

  • Miet MAERTENS

    (epartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven)

Abstract

Fertility decline in human history is a complex enigma. Different triggers have been proposed, among others the increased demand for human capital resulting in parents making a quantity–quality (QQ) trade-off. This is the first study that examines the existence of a QQ trade-off and the possible gender bias by analyzing fertility intentions rather than fertility outcomes. We rely on the unified growth theory to understand the QQ trade-off conceptually and a discrete choice experiment conducted among 426 respondents in Ethiopia to analyze fertility intentions empirically. We confirm the existence of a QQ trade-off only when the number of children is less than six and find that intentions are gendered in two ways: (i) boys are preferred over girls, and (ii) men are willing to trade-off more education in return for more children. Results imply that a focus on both stimulating intentions for education, especially girls' education, and on family size intentions is important to accelerate the demographic transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva BOONAERT & Kaat VAN HOYWEGHEN & Ashenafi DUGUMA FEYISA & Peter GOOS & Miet MAERTENS, 2025. "Gendered fertility intentions and child schooling: insights on the quantity–quality trade-off from Ethiopia," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 91(1), pages 1-48, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvde:v:91:y:2025:i:1:p:1-48
    DOI: 10.1017/dem.2022.28
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/dem.2022.28
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1017/dem.2022.28?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Choice experiment; Demographic transition; Education; Family planning; Sex preferences; Unified growth theory;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C11 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Bayesian Analysis: General
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ctl:louvde:v:91:y:2025:i:1:p:1-48. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sebastien SCHILLINGS (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iruclbe.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.