Female Labour Supply and Fertility in Spain. A Regional Analysis of Interdependencies

Abstract: In light of the pronounced regression in total fertility rates in Spain over the last 40 years and the permanence well below replacement fertility levels up until the present day, this thesis aims to add evidence to the on-going debate about the determinants of reproductive behaviour in this specific country. Given the presence of a significant heterogeneity in the pace of changes in and levels of fertility across the 19 autonomous regions, which can be related to differences in the value systems around the role of women in society, it seems of utmost importance to engage in an analysis that includes regional realities when trying to explain fertility behaviour. Drawing on cross-sectional information from the national census of 2011, including demographic, educational, socio-economic and geographic information of a nationally representative sample of Spanish women, this paper engages in a micro-level analysis of the relationship between personal traits and both the decision to enter motherhood as well as to progress to higher order births with a special focus on the regional context.