Does Female Education

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Does Female Education
Lower Fertility?
Jean Falconer Professor Horlacher Population
Economics
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Intro Fertility Decline and Economic Growth
Population growth in developing countries vs.
developed countries The demographic
transition Fertility decline and the demographic
dividend Different theories of fertility
decline-economic growth, ideational change,
etc. And the winner is Female Education
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The Game Plan

• How education affects fertility different
  theories
• a. Income theories
• b. Female autonomy
• c. Ideational change-husband selection, mass
  media,
• changing aspirations
• d. A change in the supply of children
• Different levels of education and fertility
  decline
• 3. The national context

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Female Education and Income
Education ? Greater employment opportunities ?
higher income More economic independence, less
reliance on children Costlier children who
produce less Opportunity costs increase as
women have access to better- paying
jobs Educated women are more likely to educate
their children Educated women are more likely
to live in cities Demand for children decreases
as they become costlier and produce fewer
services Empirical Support
VS
---Theories---Education Level---National
Context---
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Female Autonomy
Definition Education can increase a womans
economic independence, skills, and confidence,
and allow her to interact more with the outside
world Exposure to new, more modern
ideas Higher aspirations/increased opportunities
for cash employment Ideational shift in regards
to fertility More bargaining power in the
household-ability to achieve lower desires for
children
---Theories---Education Level---National
Context---
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When Increased Autonomy Isnt Possible
Husband selection a different kind of husband
who shares lower reproductive desires Mass
media Promotes a more modern
lifestyle Increased awareness of alternate
resource allocation possibilities Changing
aspirations for oneself and ones children
---Theories---Education Level---National
Context---
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Decreased Infant Mortality
Affecting Fertility Through a Change in Child
Supply
At high rates of mortality, the number of
surviving children is often below their demand,
so women have more Education leads to a decrease
in child mortality The number of surviving
children becomes greater than their demand,
prompting a decrease in fertility
---Theories---Education Level---National
Context---
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Different Levels of Education
The more, the better The coefficient of
married women-secondary or higher is was four
times higher than in the married women-below
secondary Explanations-delayed marriage,
increased career aspirations, and the worsening
of a womans position in the marriage market
---Theories---Education Level---National
Context---
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The National Context
Family planning programs are crucial in the pace
of fertility decline, allowing women to achieve
desired fertility levels Mass education helps
change childbearing norms within a community,
allowing for a decline in fertility even with
minimal individual education also makes a
community more urbanized and monetarized Emplo
yment opportunities must be available to women
for them to experience the income benefits of
their education
---Theories---Education Level---National
Context---
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The End