Employment Uncertainty and Fertility: A Network Meta-Analysis of European Research Findings

Giammarco Alderotti , Sapienza University of Rome
Daniele Vignoli, University of Florence
Michela Baccini, Università degli Studi di Firenze

The relation between employment uncertainty and fertility represents a prominent topic in demographic research since ever. With the advent of the Great Recession, papers addressing this relation are now booming. Although uncertainty is usually deemed to have a negative effect on fertility, different fertility reactions are hypothesized by sociological theories. What is more, micro- level evidence is still fragmented and often contradictory. In this article, we perform a meta-analysis (i.e., a quantitative literature review) of previous research findings for Europe in order to synthesize the existing literature and offer general conclusions about the size and direction of the impact of employment uncertainty on fertility. Our results suggest that experiencing employment uncertainty is detrimental for fertility; nevertheless, the magnitude of such negative effect differs significantly by gender, welfare state, and parity.

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 Presented in Session 8. Economy, Labor Force, Education, & Inequality