The Impact of Educational Fields on Fertility in Western Germany

Abstract

Research on the impact of educational attainment on fertility behavior has been expanded by a new dimension – the field of education. This paper analyses how the educational field influences the transition to parenthood of women and men in Western Germany. The results show that educational fields matter for the transition to parenthood only for women. For men, the results do not show a significant impact of educational fields on the transition rates to parenthood. However, they point at the importance of the educational level for the probability of men to become fathers.