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Parental age difference, educationally assortative mating and offspring count: evidence from a contemporary population in Taiwan

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: Using contemporary population data from Taiwan, we examine the relationships between parental age difference, educationally assortative mating, income and offspring count. Controlling for women's reproductive value (measured by age at first birth), we find that an older husband is associated with fewer offspring, whereas a husband with similar or higher education is associated with more offspring. Concerning resources, we find that women's income is negatively associated with fertility and husband's income is positively associated with fertility among highly educated women. These results are consistent with the view that women compensate for trade-offs between education, income generation and childbearing by seeking mates with a higher status.

Source: Biology Letters

DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.1208

Authors: Meng-Wen Tsou, Jin-Tan Liu, James K. Hammitt

Institutions: National Central University, National Taiwan University, Harvard University, Toulouse School of Economics, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2147666015

FWCI: 2.648

Cites: 12

Cited by: 15

Related to: 10