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Female Labor Force Participation and Fertility in Latin America: Decomposing Two Decades of Change

Author

Listed:
  • Inés Berniell

    (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP)

  • Raquel Fernández

    (NYU)

Abstract

Female labor force participation (LFP) and fertility have evolved jointly across Latin America, with participation rising as fertility declined over the last two decades. This paper studies the extent to which changes in fertility can account for increases in women’s labor supply in the five largest economies in the region as well as in the US. Defining three groups based solely on the presence of children under age 6, under age 13, and no children under age 13, we find that in all countries changes in labor supply within groups overwhelmingly dominate the compositional shifts induced by declining fertility. When we further disaggregate women into groups by their education in addition to the age of their children, the changing composition of the population becomes more important and the increase in LFP is mostly driven by more educated women without children under age 13, reflecting increases in both their participation and population share.

Suggested Citation

  • Inés Berniell & Raquel Fernández, 2026. "Female Labor Force Participation and Fertility in Latin America: Decomposing Two Decades of Change," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0379, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    • Handle: RePEc:dls:wpaper:0379
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Claudia Goldin, 2025. "Babies and the macroeconomy," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 92(367), pages 675-700, July.
    2. Berniell, Inés & Berniell, Lucila & Mata, Dolores de la & Edo, María & Marchionni, Mariana, 2021. "Gender gaps in labor informality: The motherhood effect," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
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    5. Marchionni, Mariana & Pedrazzi, Julián, 2025. "The last hurdle? Unyielding motherhood effects in the context of declining gender inequality in Latin America," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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