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Education, Work and Parenthood: Comparing the Experience of Young Men and Women in Sweden

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Abstract

This article analyzes the determinants of young men and women’s entry into parenthood, applying hazard regressions to a combination of longitudinal micro-data from the 1992/1993 Swedish Family Survey and aggregate time-series data. We study the impact of education, labor market attachment and macro-economic change on becoming a parent for both men and women in Sweden since the mid-1960s. Our results show clear gender differences both when it comes to individual characteristics and aggregate-level factors. Even though the effects sometimes differed according to gender, education and labor market attachment were key factors determining the transition to parenthood. Over time the pattern grew increasingly similar for men and women.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by grants from the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research and the Swedish Research Council.

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  1. Centre for Economic Demography and Department of Economic History, Lund University, P.O. Box 7083, 220 07, Lund, Sweden

    Martin Dribe & Maria Stanfors

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  1. Martin Dribe
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Correspondence to Martin Dribe.

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Dribe, M., Stanfors, M. Education, Work and Parenthood: Comparing the Experience of Young Men and Women in Sweden. J Fam Econ Iss 30, 32–42 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-008-9134-7

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