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Money Matters: The Economics of Fertility

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Book cover Decline and Prosper!

Abstract

When people consider whether they should have a(nother) child, they often consider whether they can afford it. High childrearing costs and economic insecurity tend to delay and/or depress fertility, but not always. In this chapter, I review economic theories of fertility, some of the expenses and opportunity costs associated with having children, the possible financial gains and of having children and how one’s own economic situation and the economy at large are related to fertility. I discuss how the increasing cost of having children (including housing costs) is thought to be a major reason why fertility has declined, and whether richer people have more children.

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  1. Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

    Vegard Skirbekk

  2. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, USA

    Vegard Skirbekk

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Skirbekk, V. (2022). Money Matters: The Economics of Fertility. In: Decline and Prosper!. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91611-4_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91611-4_13

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