Will highly educated women have more children in the future? Looking at reproductive plans and outcomes

Abstract

"Will highly educated women have more children in the future?" In this contribution, I address this question by looking at both fertility and fertility intentions; i.e., the number of children people plan to have over their reproductive lives. Intended births are highly correlated with actual births, and in low-fertility settings, childbearing has become associated with the couple's agency.1 On the other hand, education, which is a marker of income and social status, has remained an important driver of fertility choices.2 Hence, understanding the reproductive decision-making of women and men with low, medium, and high levels of education is crucial when seeking to determine whether - and if so, to what extent - there is scope for additional policy interventions aimed at raising fertility levels.