Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Social class and fertility: A Long-run analysis of Southern Sweden, 1922–2015

Dribe, Martin LU and Smith, Christopher LU (2021) In Population Studies 75(3). p.305-323
Abstract
This paper examines social class differences in fertility, using longitudinal micro-level data for a regionalsample in Sweden, 1922–2015. Using discrete-time event history models, we estimated the associationbetween social class and parity-specific duration to next birth, adjusting for household income in separatemodels. Social class was associated with fertility quite independently from income and the association wasboth parity-dependent and sex-specific. For transitions to parenthood, higher class position wasassociated with higher fertility for men and lower fertility for women before 1970, but then converged intoa positive association for both sexes after 1990. For continued childbearing, a weak U-shaped relationshipbefore 1947 turned... (More)
This paper examines social class differences in fertility, using longitudinal micro-level data for a regionalsample in Sweden, 1922–2015. Using discrete-time event history models, we estimated the associationbetween social class and parity-specific duration to next birth, adjusting for household income in separatemodels. Social class was associated with fertility quite independently from income and the association wasboth parity-dependent and sex-specific. For transitions to parenthood, higher class position wasassociated with higher fertility for men and lower fertility for women before 1970, but then converged intoa positive association for both sexes after 1990. For continued childbearing, a weak U-shaped relationshipbefore 1947 turned into a positive relationship for second births and a negative relationship for higher-order births in the period after 1990. These patterns likely reflect broader changes in work–familycompatibility and are connected to profound shifts in labour markets and institutional arrangements intwentieth-century Sweden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
social class, SES, income, fertility, marital fertility, parity-specific fertility, Sweden, event history analysis, population registers
in
Population Studies
volume
75
issue
3
pages
20 pages
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:85090475831
  • pmid:32907474
ISSN
1477-4747
DOI
10.1080/00324728.2020.1810746
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a9fa48a5-b2c0-4127-99a6-09bb2a2df846
date added to LUP
2020-09-14 14:07:13
date last changed
2022-04-19 00:39:23
@article{a9fa48a5-b2c0-4127-99a6-09bb2a2df846,
  abstract     = {{This paper examines social class differences in fertility, using longitudinal micro-level data for a regionalsample in Sweden, 1922–2015. Using discrete-time event history models, we estimated the associationbetween social class and parity-specific duration to next birth, adjusting for household income in separatemodels. Social class was associated with fertility quite independently from income and the association wasboth parity-dependent and sex-specific. For transitions to parenthood, higher class position wasassociated with higher fertility for men and lower fertility for women before 1970, but then converged intoa positive association for both sexes after 1990. For continued childbearing, a weak U-shaped relationshipbefore 1947 turned into a positive relationship for second births and a negative relationship for higher-order births in the period after 1990. These patterns likely reflect broader changes in work–familycompatibility and are connected to profound shifts in labour markets and institutional arrangements intwentieth-century Sweden.}},
  author       = {{Dribe, Martin and Smith, Christopher}},
  issn         = {{1477-4747}},
  keywords     = {{social class; SES; income; fertility; marital fertility; parity-specific fertility; Sweden; event history analysis; population registers}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{305--323}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Population Studies}},
  title        = {{Social class and fertility: A Long-run analysis of Southern Sweden, 1922–2015}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2020.1810746}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/00324728.2020.1810746}},
  volume       = {{75}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}