Fertility tempo and quantum: an empirical test of major theories with data from four FFS-countries.

This study examined 4 hypotheses that explain children ever born (CEB) and early and late childbearing in Belgium Germany (former Federal Republic) Italy and Hungary. Theories pertain to female economic autonomy relative economic deprivation ideational change and union instability. Data were obtained from the Fertility and Family Survey for Belgium in 1991 for Germany in 1992 for Italy in 1995-96 and for Hungary in 1993. Explanatory factors include higher education white-collar or professional job willingness to make sacrifices for advancing career blue-collar partner lower secondary female education ever employment first housewife frequency of Sunday church attendance importance of God early home leaving and/or divorce multiple partnerships and residence. Italy had the latest mean age at first birth. Women with higher education and/or a professional career were the last to bear children. Sacrificing for a career postponed first birth. The earliest starts were among well educated women who chose to be housewives. Problems in the parental family led to greater risk of early motherhood. Urbanity lowered the risk of early starts. CEB were higher among women who did not start careers as professionals and who chose to be housewives from the start. Among ever-employed women those aged 30-39 years with a blue-collar partner had lower fertility except in Hungary. Economic deprivation theory is only supported in Germany and Italy. The net affects of family disruption on CEB were strongest in Belgium and Italy. CEB was positively associated with fertility in Belgium and Germany.