Does Broadband Internet Affect Fertility?

The spread of high-speed Internet epitomizes the digital revolution, affecting several aspectsof our life. Using German panel data, we test whether the availability of broadbandInternet influences fertility choices in a low-fertility setting, which is well-known for the difficultyto combine work and family life. We exploit a strategy devised by Falck et al. (2014) toobtain causal estimates of the impact of broadband on fertility. We find positive effects of highspeedInternet availability on the fertility of high-educated women aged 25 and above. Effectsare not statistically significant both for men, low-educated women, and under 25. We alsoshow that broadband access significantly increases the share of women reporting teleworkingor part-time working. Furthermore, we find positive effects on time spent with children andoverall life satisfaction. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that high-speed Internetallows high-educated women to conciliate career and motherhood, which may promotefertility with a “digital divide†. At the same time, higher access to information on the risksand costs of early pregnancy and childbearing may explain the negative effects on youngeradults.