DOES EMPLOYMENT AFFECT WOMEN’S FERTILITY PATTERNS AND PREFERENCES? EVIDENCE FROM INDIA
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This paper examines the impact of female wage employment on fertility preferences, specifically use of contraceptives, ideal number of children, and sex preference, in India. It utilizes a shift-share instrument for employment, isolating exogenous variation in labor demand. It is found that employment significantly affects women’s use of contraceptives, but does not affect the ideal number of children they wish to have or their preference for sons. The size of this effect is different for women residing in rural areas when compared to those in urban areas, however there is no significant age-wise variation in these effects. These findings suggest the potential “stickiness” of norms which overpowers the mechanisms through which employment affects fertility preferences.