Job Instability and Fertility Intentions of Young Adults in Europe: Does Labor Market Legislation Matter?

Abstract

Total birth rates have fallen dramatically in many European countries during the last 40 years. Job and income instability caused by labor market polarization are significant drivers of declining birth rates because employment certainty and stability are crucial to childbirth planning among young adults. This article investigates the impact of job instability on the fertility intentions of young adults in Europe, focusing on employment protection legislation (EPL) in European countries. I use data from twenty-seven countries that participated in the European Social Survey in 2004 and 2010 to show that job instability measured as temporary employment, informal work, and unemployment decreases fertility intentions among European youth regardless of the EPL in the country. Unemployed young adults tend to plan less for having their first child in the countries with high EPL. Contrary to the hypotheses, multilevel modeling showed that young people in temporary or informal employment in countries with low EPL show decreases in their fertility intentions.