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The interpretation and role of work-associated accelerated childbearing in post-war Britain

The interpretation and role of work-associated accelerated childbearing in post-war Britain
The interpretation and role of work-associated accelerated childbearing in post-war Britain
The paper examines a variety of data relating to work-associated differentials in birth-spacing and concludes that these may be interpreted as work-motivated. Two effects of employment on fertility are hypothesized: current work exerting a negative, decelerating influence and prospective employment a positive, accelerating influence. It is argued that the post-war rise in fertility to the mid-60s may have been brought about, in part, by the strong trend in women's labour-force participation. The pull of future work is argued to have been stronger during the 1950s and 1960s and that of current economic activity to have increased during the 1970s. The changing balance of attractiveness between current and prospective economic activity may therefore initially have had an accelerating and later a decelerating impact on birth rates.
0168-6577
135-154
Ní Bhrolcháin, Máire
c9648b58-880e-4296-a173-7241449e0078
Ní Bhrolcháin, Máire
c9648b58-880e-4296-a173-7241449e0078

Ní Bhrolcháin, Máire (1986) The interpretation and role of work-associated accelerated childbearing in post-war Britain. European Journal of Population, 2 (2), 135-154. (doi:10.1007/BF01796887).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The paper examines a variety of data relating to work-associated differentials in birth-spacing and concludes that these may be interpreted as work-motivated. Two effects of employment on fertility are hypothesized: current work exerting a negative, decelerating influence and prospective employment a positive, accelerating influence. It is argued that the post-war rise in fertility to the mid-60s may have been brought about, in part, by the strong trend in women's labour-force participation. The pull of future work is argued to have been stronger during the 1950s and 1960s and that of current economic activity to have increased during the 1970s. The changing balance of attractiveness between current and prospective economic activity may therefore initially have had an accelerating and later a decelerating impact on birth rates.

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Published date: October 1986

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 34347
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/34347
ISSN: 0168-6577
PURE UUID: dd2130dc-4b43-4b02-92d0-69ed2bc5b52c

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Date deposited: 16 Jan 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:47

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Author: Máire Ní Bhrolcháin

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