Women breaking educational barriers less likely to become mothers

Female graduates are less likely than non-graduates to become parents by their mid-40s, with this ‘fertility gap’ driven primarily by women who were the first in their family (FiF) to attend university.

The new UCL study, published in the Review of Economics of the Household, reveals that among members of generation X, born in 1970, FiF graduate women are 40% more likely to have no children by age 46 than both other graduate and non-graduate women.

The research finds that, for female FiF graduates, their decisions to become parents tend to be shaped by various personal and early-life factors, such as their self-esteem, their mothers’ employment status when they were growing up, and their own views and attitudes about parenting.

Lead author, Dr Anna Adamecz (UCL Social Research Institute) said: “Currently, about two-thirds of graduates are FiF, with this share even higher among women than among men. Previous research has shown female FiF graduates tend to experience numerous challenges at university and during their careers, being more likely to drop out of education and earning significantly less than other graduates in their 20s.

“Little is known, however, about how these disadvantages go on to influence key milestones in their personal lives, such as having children. Our new research reveals they are less likely to become parents, but shows that the potential factors driving their choices are not related to their employment or financial situation.”

What the researchers looked at

Researchers from the UCL Social Research Institute analysed data from more than 8,000 people born in England, Scotland and Wales during one week in 1970 who are taking part in the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70). They looked at information collected from participants at age 46 about their number of biological children, then examined data taken across their lives on family background, educational attainment, employment and partnership status, as well as their mental health and views and attitudes.

What the study found

Female graduates whose parents had also been to university were more likely to have children later compared to non-graduates. Nevertheless, they tended to catch up after age 35, and by their mid-40s they had a similar number of children as non-graduates.

Up until about age 35, there were no differences in the number of children had by FiF and non-FiF graduates. However, by their mid-40s, female FiF graduates were less likely to become mothers compared to other graduate women and non-graduates. Although male FiF graduates were also somewhat less likely than other male graduates to have children by midlife, this difference was not significant.

Challenges faced by first generation graduates

While FiF women tended to earn less per hour and had higher student debt during their 30s and 40s than their peers, their financial and employment situation did not increase their odds of not having children by age 46.

Instead, the researchers found that other factors increased the likelihood that they would reach midlife without having children. Maternal role models may be important as FiF graduates whose mothers did not work when they were young were more likely to have no children compared to their graduate peers with similar characteristics.

Self-esteem appeared to be an influential factor for women thinking about having a family. Those with lower self-esteem were less likely to have children, and FiF graduates tended to report lower self-esteem at age 16 than other graduates.

Women’s views about the importance of having children reported at age 16 appeared to hold firm three decades later. While there were no differences in the rates of female graduates who as teenagers had said having children was not very important, FiF graduates who reported this were more likely to have no children in midlife compared to other graduates with similar views.

Dr Adamecz added: “The economic repercussions of decreasing fertility rates and an ageing population continue to be of great concern for western governments. Our findings point to the need for a broader understanding of the barriers to fertility among upwardly mobile women.

“Policies that support women’s educational and career ambitions without compromising their choices and ability to have children could help promote gender equality in access to opportunities. Higher education institutions are implementing a variety of programmes aimed at easing the unique challenges of FiF students. Our analysis suggests that the potential impacts of such investments extend beyond academic and career outcomes, as they may also affect simultaneous fertility decisions.”

Further information

‘Beyond the degree: Fertility outcomes of `first in family’ graduates’ by Anna Adamecz, Anna Lovász and Suncica Vujic is available on the Review of Economics of the Household website.