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Social policies, separation, and second birth spacing in Western Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Michaela Kreyenfeld

    (Hertie School of Governance)

  • Esther Geisler

    (Hertie School of Governance)

  • Teresa Castro Martín

    (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC))

  • Tina Hannemann

    (University of Manchester)

  • Valerie Heintz-Martin

    (Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI))

  • Marika Jalovaara

    (Turun Yliopisto (University of Turku))

  • Hill Kulu

    (University of St Andrews)

  • Silvia Meggiolaro

    (Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD))

  • Dimitri Mortelmans

    (Universiteit Antwerpen)

  • Inge Pasteels

    (Hogeschool PXL)

  • Marta Seiz

    (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED))

  • Anne Solaz

    (Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED))

Abstract
Objective: This paper studies postseparation fertility behavior. The aim is to investigate whether, and if so how, separation affects second birth spacing in Western European countries. Methods: This analysis makes use of rich survey data from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as from Finnish register data. We thus cover the behavior of a large proportion of the population of Western Europe. We also use descriptive measures, such as Kaplan‒Meier survival functions and cumulative incidence curves. In the multivariate analysis, we employ event history modeling to show how education relates to postseparation fertility behavior. Results: There are large differences in postseparation fertility behavior across European countries. For Spain and Italy, we find that only a negligibly small proportion of the population have a second child after separating from the other parent of the firstborn child. The countries with the highest proportion of second children with a new partner are the United Kingdom, Germany, and Finland. In all countries, separation after first birth leads to a sharp increase in the birth interval between first and second births. Contribution: Our study is a contribution to the demographic literature that aims at understanding birth spacing patterns in Western Europe. Furthermore, we draw attention to the role of postseparation policies in explaining country differences in fertility behavior in contemporary societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Michaela Kreyenfeld & Esther Geisler & Teresa Castro Martín & Tina Hannemann & Valerie Heintz-Martin & Marika Jalovaara & Hill Kulu & Silvia Meggiolaro & Dimitri Mortelmans & Inge Pasteels & Marta Sei, 2017. "Social policies, separation, and second birth spacing in Western Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(37), pages 1245-1274.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:37:y:2017:i:37
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2017.37.37
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Nicholas Campisi & Hill Kulu & Júlia Mikolai & Sebastian Klüsener & Mikko Myrskylä, 2020. "A spatial perspective on the Nordic fertility decline: the role of economic and social uncertainty in fertility trends," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2020-036, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    2. Valerie K. Heintz-Martin & Alexandra N. Langmeyer, 2020. "Economic Situation, Financial Strain and Child Wellbeing in Stepfamilies and Single-Parent Families in Germany," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 238-254, June.
    3. Linus Andersson, 2020. "Oh half-brother, where art thou? The boundaries of full- and half-sibling interaction," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(16), pages 431-460.
    4. Stjepan Srhoj & Bruno Škrinjarić & Sonja Radas & Janette Walde, 2022. "Small matching grants for women entrepreneurs: lessons from the past recession," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 117-142, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fertility; stepfamily fertility; multipartnered fertility; event history;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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