Recession curbs U.S., European fertility

The 2008-2009 recession threw cold water at European and U.S. fertility rates, which fell for the first time since the 1960s, researchers say. Tomas Sobotka of the Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis says economic recessions tend to be followed by a decline in fertility rates. "Highly educated women react to employment uncertainty by adopting a 'postponement strategy,' especially if they are childless. In contrast, less-educated women often maintain or increase their fertility under economic uncertainty," Sobotka says in a statement. Meanwhile, men with low education and low skills face increasing difficulty in finding a partner or in supporting their family and often show the largest decline in first child birth rates. Overall, the recent global economic recession has brought to an end the first concerted rise in fertility rates across the developed world since the 1960s. The 27 countries of the European Union saw fertility rates increase in 26 countries in 2008, with stagnation in Luxembourg. However, in 2009 13 countries saw their fertility rates decline and another four experienced stable fertility rates. In many developed countries cuts in social spending driven by the need to address ballooning budget deficits may prolong the fertility impact of the recent recession well beyond its end, the researchers say. The findings are published in Population and Development Review.