Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Tequamem, Miron 
Author-Name: Tirivayi, Nyasha 
Author-workplace-name: UNU-MERIT
Title: Higher education and fertility: Evidence from a natural experiment in Ethiopia
Abstract: This paper studies the effect of women's higher education on fertility outcomes in
	 Ethiopia. We exploit an abrupt increase in the supply of tertiary education induced
	 by a liberalisation policy. Using an age discontinuity in the exposure to higher
	 education reform, we find that education lowers fertility by 8% and increases the
	 likelihood of never giving birth by 25%. We explore the role of potential underlying
	 mechanisms and find that this negative effect on fertility is channelled through
	 positive assortative mating and the postponement of marriage and motherhood.
Keywords: Higher Education, Fertility, Assortative Mating, Marriage, Policy Evaluation 
Classification-JEL: O12, I23, I25, I38, J12, J13
Series: UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Creation-Date: 2015
Number: 2015-019
File-URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2015/wp2015-019.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 275 kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2015019