Adherence to cultural norms and economic incentives: Evidence from fertility timing decisions

Working paper


Chabe-Ferret, B. 2016. Adherence to cultural norms and economic incentives: Evidence from fertility timing decisions. IZA.
TypeWorking paper
TitleAdherence to cultural norms and economic incentives: Evidence from fertility timing decisions
AuthorsChabe-Ferret, B.
Abstract

I analyze the interplay between culture and economic incentives in decision-making. To this end, I study birth timing decisions of second generation migrant women to France and the US. Only the probability to have three or more children increases with the home country fertility norm, whereas the timing of the first two births is either unaffected or negatively correlated. I propose a model that rationalizes these findings in which decisions are the result of a trade-off between an economic cost-benefit analysis and a cultural norm. The model predicts that decisions with a higher cost of deviation from the economic optimum should be less prone to cultural influence. This is consistent with substantial evidence showing that the timing of the first birth bears much larger costs for mothers in terms of labor market outcomes than that of subsequent births.

Keywordscultural norms; fertility; birth timing
PublisherIZA
Publication dates
OnlineOct 2016
Publication process dates
Deposited21 Sep 2023
Additional information

IZA Discussion Paper No. 10269

Web address (URL)http://ftp.iza.org/dp10269.pdf
Related Output
Is previous version ofAdherence to cultural norms and economic incentives: evidence from fertility timing decisions
LanguageEnglish
Permalink -

https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/8v3v9

  • 37
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Measuring breastfeeding prevalence using demographic and health surveys
Chabe-Ferret, B. 2024. Measuring breastfeeding prevalence using demographic and health surveys. BMC Public Health. 24 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19821-y
Strategic fertility, education choices, and conflicts in deeply divided societies
Bezin, E., Chabe-Ferret, B. and de la Croix, D. 2024. Strategic fertility, education choices, and conflicts in deeply divided societies. Journal of European Economic Association. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeea/jvae027
Linking human capabilities with livelihood strategies to speed poverty reduction: evidence from Rwanda
Bird, K., Chabe-Ferret, B. and Simons, A. 2022. Linking human capabilities with livelihood strategies to speed poverty reduction: evidence from Rwanda. World Development. 151, pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105728
Segregation, fertility, and son preference: the case of the Roma in Serbia
Battaglia, M., Chabe-Ferret, B. and Lebedinski, L. 2021. Segregation, fertility, and son preference: the case of the Roma in Serbia. Journal of Demographic Economics. 87 (2), pp. 233-260. https://doi.org/10.1017/dem.2020.8
Adherence to cultural norms and economic incentives: evidence from fertility timing decisions
Chabe-Ferret, B. 2019. Adherence to cultural norms and economic incentives: evidence from fertility timing decisions. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 162, pp. 24-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2019.04.003
Remigration intentions and migrants' behavior
Chabe-Ferret, B., Machado, J. and Wahba, J. 2018. Remigration intentions and migrants' behavior. Regional Science and Urban Economics. 68, pp. 56-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2017.10.018
Socioeconomic characteristics, fertility norms and the black-white fertility gap in the US
Chabe-Ferret, B. 2013. Socioeconomic characteristics, fertility norms and the black-white fertility gap in the US. Université catholique de Louvain.
Differences in fertility behavior and uncertainty: An economic theory of the minority status hypothesis
Chabe-Ferret, B. and Melindi Ghidi, P. 2013. Differences in fertility behavior and uncertainty: An economic theory of the minority status hypothesis. Journal of Population Economics. 26 (3), pp. 887-905. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-012-0434-8