The Effect of Education on Early Parenthood among Young Canadian Adults

Abstract

We use the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) to examine the link between education and early parenthood in Canada. Estimates from proportional hazard models reveal that the exit from fulltime schooling increases the risk of becoming a young parent. However, this risk is tempered by the level of education achieved. Other measures related to education indicate that skipping classes increases the risk of early parenthood for men and women, whereas having peers committed to education reduces the risk for both. Yet higher educational aspirations and more extra curricular activities reduce the risk of parenthood, but for women only.