Higher education and fertility: Evidence from a natural experiment in Ethiopia
Miron Tequame & Nyasha Tirivayi
#2015-019
This paper studies the effect of women's higher education on fertility
outcomes in Ethiopia. We exploit an abrupt increase in the supply of
tertiary education induced by a liberalisation policy. Using an age
discontinuity in the exposure to higher education reform, we find that
education lowers fertility by 8% and increases the likelihood of never
giving birth by 25%. We explore the role of potential underlying
mechanisms and find that this negative effect on fertility is channelled
through positive assortative mating and the postponement of marriage and
motherhood.
JEL Classification: O12, I23, I25, I38, J12, J13
Keywords: Higher Education, Fertility, Assortative Mating, Marriage,
Policy Evaluation