Educational Expansions and Fertility: Evidence from Norwegian College Reforms.

ABSTRACT: Previous research has pointed to educational expansions and increased educational attainment among women as an important factor contributing to reductions in fertility levels and changes in family formation patterns in the second half of the twentieth century. We investigate one potential mechanism that may have contributed to these developments-the establishment of local colleges providing access to higher education for broader segments of the population. We study the establishment of regional colleges in Norway 1973-83. Taking advantage of population-wide administrative register data, historical data sources and recent developments in difference-in-differences methodology, we employ an event study design to assess the impact of local colleges on cohort fertility and age-specific fertilit

SUBMITTER: Rogne AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12130375 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature