L'EVENTO A CAUSA DI UN IMPREVISTO E' STATO ANNULLATO
Abstract
This paper studies the impact of women's education on their fertility choices in Italy at the onset of the Italian demographic transition (1881-1921). We use newly digitised panel data at the district (circondario) level to measure the literacy rate of school-age females and the associated child-old woman ratio twenty years later, and we employ these variables as proxies for, respectively, female education and fertility behaviour. We find that districts with higher literacy rates for young females showed lower fertility levels after two decades, also when controlling for several fertility demand and supply factors. For causal estimation we develop an instrumental variables strategy exploiting proximity to the first female normal schools (teacher-training colleges) that were opened when Italy unified in 1861. Finally, we provide preliminary evidence on the relevance of women's economic independence as an important channel for potential effects of education on fertility.
GENPOP has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 865356). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Collegamento Microsoft teams
Organizzazione
Nicola Barban