The Effect of Unemployment on the Realization of Fertility Projects in France

Arnaud Régnier-Loilier, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Ariane Pailhé, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

The economic crisis that most European countries have been experiencing has led to renewed interest in the question of the link between economic context and fertility. Using the longitudinal data from the French Generations and Gender Survey (ERFI-GGS, 2005-2011), we analyze how the experience of unemployment has affected the realization of men's and women's fertility intentions. We first carried out a non-parametric duration analysis. Then, we estimated a semi-parametric model (Cox), in order to assess the effects of a period of unemployment on the realization of fertility projects. Our results show that the frequency of having children during the observation period was lower among those who experienced an episode of unemployment. However, the effect of unemployment is stronger for women and significant only for entry into parenthood.