The effect of employment, unemployment and temporary contracts on the low fertility rate in Spain in the 1990’s

Abstract

In this article the effects that the participation of women and their partners in the labor market have on fertility are empirically investigated, focusing on the impact of temporary contracts and unemployment. A life course approach is adopted, in which macro-level institutional and cultural factors are considered to be key in shaping the interrelationship between different trajectories of individuals. A longitudinal sample of the European Household Panel Survey, covering the period 1994- 2001, and event history models are used in the analyses. The results show a strong negative impact of employment instability, leading to a postponement
in the timing of childbearing and to a reduction in fertility rates. These effects are even stronger when both members of a couple are in a precarious situation in the labor market.