Pathways to Higher Order Fertility among Couples: The Role of Occupational Welfare

Helen Kowalewska, University of Bath
Giovanni Minchio , University of Trento
Stefani Scherer, University of Trento
Agnese Vitali, University of Trento

How do childcare costs and occupational welfare experienced during first parenthood shape the likelihood of having a second child? Given the high costs of childbearing, we expect that occupational welfare – measured by company-provided childcare benefits, internal flexibility, and additional pay on top of statutory maternity leave pay – matters. However, its influence on transitions to second births remains underexplored. To contribute to addressing this gap in knowledge, this study examines how childcare costs and company work-family arrangements facilitate transitions to second parity among different-sex couples. Drawing on data from the first four sweeps of the Millennium Cohort Study, we analyse the factors associated with the likelihood and timing of the transition to second births, focusing on the influence of partners’ family-work arrangements and company-level welfare and flexibility. Crucially, we take a couple-level approach. While most research takes an individual-level perspective, a couple-level perspective matters for understanding whether occupational welfare has differential effects depending on whether the mother or the father receives it. We also assess how these associations vary by each partner’s education and Socio-Economic Classification. Early results show that paying for childcare reduces couples’ second-birth hazards, although this relationship weakens as family income increases. On the contrary, additional maternity pay increases second-birth hazards only for higher income couples. Mothers in managerial occupations are more likely to have a second child when the father takes up internal flexibility, whereas the opposite is observed when fathers are in intermediate occupations, such as clerical workers or sales supervisors.

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 Presented in Session P2. Families, Fertility, and the Life Course 2