Overview

Abstract (English)

Many OECD countries have experienced a significant decline in fertility rates since the 1960. This development has propelled the question of demographic change to the top of the policy agenda, and as decreasing fertility rates and female labor force participation rates have threatened to undermine public pension systems, many states have responded by increasing public expenditures on family services (through availability and financial support for purchased childcare, and parental leave benefits, etc.). But how much can policy achieve? Some recent studies have tried to explain the observed differences in female labor force participation and fertility rates across countries and over time, based on differences in purchased child care use and other measures related to policy, but a large fraction of the variance in the data is still unaccounted for. This research attempts to address the problem from different angle; in particular, the project is aimed at clarifying the role of culture in explaining the diversity of outcomes. Culture, understood as a set of beliefs (that, among other things, shape people’s attitudes towards women and their role in society) is likely to be an important determinant in women’s fertility and labor market decisions. Isolating the effects of culture – as opposed to institutional and economic variables – on female labor supply and productivity will therefore help us understand better the large variation in outcomes that we observe across socio-economic classes, countries, and time.

Abstract (French)

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