MPIDR Working Paper

Labour-market attachment and entry into parenthood: The experience of immigrant women in Sweden

Andersson, G., Scott, K.
MPIDR Working Paper WP-2004-011, 35 pages.
Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (March 2004)
Open Access

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of labour-market attachment on entry into motherhood for foreign-born women in Sweden. The study uses a longitudinal, register-based data set consisting of the entire population of immigrants from ten nations and a five-percent random sample of natives. The effects of earned income are evident, with increased income levels increasing the probability of becoming a mother for all observed nationalities. The effects of various states of participation and non-participation in the labour force do not vary greatly between immigrants and Swedish-born. Among all subgroups, we find a higher propensity to begin childbearing among those who are established in the labour market. Contrary to popular belief welfare recipience clearly reduces the first-birth intensity for immigrants but not for natives. The similarity in patterns across widely different national groups supports the notion that various institutional factors affecting all subgroups are crucial in influencing childbearing behaviour.
Keywords: Sweden, fertility
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.