Work Histories and Fertility: An Analysis of the Duration of Precariousness and the Instability of Employment Careers

Daniël van Wijk , Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)
Helga A. G. de Valk, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) / KNAW/ University of Groningen
Aart C. Liefbroer, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)

The vast majority of studies that link economic uncertainty and fertility have been based on indicators of employment status at one point in time. One may, however, assume that it is in particular the trajectories of economic uncertainty that matter for fertility choices. It is thus important to include more dynamic measures of work histories in order to truly understand their influence on fertility. In this paper, we study how and to what extent work histories have an effect on first birth rates in addition to, and potentially in interaction with, the current employment status. We focus on the duration of unemployment and non-permanent employment as well as on instability in the employment career. Analyses are based on Dutch full-population register data. We select all inhabitants of the Netherlands who left education in 2006 and follow them until 2018. Event history models show the importance of work histories of men and women for first birth rates.

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 Presented in Session 42. Unemployment and Labor Markets