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Parental retirement and fertility decisions across family policy regimes

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  • Edoardo Frattola

    (Bank of Italy
    EUI)

Abstract

This paper investigates whether parental retirement affects the timing of adult couples’ fertility decisions and whether the effect is heterogeneous across family policy regimes in Europe. Exploiting variation in eligibility rules in a regression discontinuity design with panel data, I find a positive causal effect only in countries with weak family policies and strong family ties (i.e., in Mediterranean countries), where the result is driven by an increase in the availability of informal childcare. This finding suggests that raising the minimum retirement age might have unintended negative consequences on fertility rates by delaying the offspring generation’s childbearing decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Edoardo Frattola, 2025. "Parental retirement and fertility decisions across family policy regimes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 933-968, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:23:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s11150-024-09757-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-024-09757-y
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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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