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Education and the changing age pattern of American fertility: 1963–1989

  • Fertility and Contraception
  • Published:
Demography

Abstract

Using pooled data from the 1980, 1985, and 1990 Current Population Surveys, we describe fertility trends by age and education for the period 1963–1989. Interest focuses on whether the effects of education have changed across this period. We show that women with college degrees experienced dramatic shifts toward later ages of childbearing. This shift is consistent with arguments we develop about the increased opportunity for women to pursue careers and about changes in the availability of child care

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, CB# 8120 University Square, 124 W. Franklin St., 27516-3997, Chapel Hill, NC

    Ronald R. Rindfuss

  2. Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, USA

    S. Philip Morgan & Kate Offutt

Authors
  1. Ronald R. Rindfuss
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  2. S. Philip Morgan
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  3. Kate Offutt
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Correspondence to Ronald R. Rindfuss.

Additional information

This research was supported by NICHD Grant ROI-HD-29582. Thanks to Tim Cheney for programming assistance, and to Deanna Pagnini and three Demography reviewers for useful comments on earlier drafts.

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Rindfuss, R.R., Morgan, S.P. & Offutt, K. Education and the changing age pattern of American fertility: 1963–1989. Demography 33, 277–290 (1996). https://doi.org/10.2307/2061761

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