The Changing Impact of Women’s Educational Attainment and Employment on the Timing of Births in Canada

Abstract

Analyzing 1995 Canadian General Social Survey data & making use of Cox proportional hazards (1972), considered are possible cohort differences in the impact of women's education & employment on birth timing. Consistent with previous studies, findings demonstrate the continuing importance of education & employment for more recent cohorts & also reflect their increasing impact over time on birth timing. Further analyses of interactions between education & employment show that, for all cohorts, the effect of previous employment increases with level of education, meaning that women with the most education as well as prior work experience have the greatest incentive to initiate childbearing earlier. It is concluded that (1) the joint effects of women's education & employment have a more powerful influence on the timing of childbearing than either of their separate effects; & (2) this combined effect of education & early work experience appears to be increasing over time. 3 Tables, 1 Appendix, 29 References. Adapted from the source document.