Testing the inverseness of fertility and labor supply: the case of Ethiopia

Arbeitspapier

We test the inverseness of fertility and labor supply for married women in Ethiopia to determine if previous research (focusing on developed countries) that has found an inverse relationship between fertility and labor supply is applicable to least developed countries. The research into fertility and labor supply has relied on a variety of methodologies for addressing the endogeneity of fertility. Using data from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) of Ethiopia, we use the husband's desire for children to instrument for fertility. Our empirical results fail to support an inverse relationship between fertility and labor supply in Ethiopia, perhaps because the persistence of traditional family structures in the face of rising national female employment facilitates maternal employment. This finding has implications for other LDCs as well.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 3949

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth ; Time Allocation and Labor Supply
• Subject: Labor supply ; fertililty ; Frauenerwerbstätigkeit ; Arbeitsangebot ; Fruchtbarkeit ; Familiensoziologie ; Äthiopien ; Entwicklungsländer

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Solomon, Blen ; Kimmel, Jean
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2009

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/35766
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-20090209192
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET