3 Questions, 3 Answers • 08.12.2020Expansion of Childcare and Social Inequality

Over a long-term period, a negative correlation between the formal educational level of women and their number of children has been observed in highly developed countries. This was especially true for the group of female academics. More recent studies draw the conclusion that in recent years a change has been emerging in some countries. This is the case, for instance, in Belgium, which was one of the first countries to see changes. Dr. Sebastian Klüsener, co-author of the study, explains the reasons for this trend.

Dr. Klüsener, you have observed that a change has taken place in Belgium regarding the birth rate of higher educated women. Today, they are having as many children as women with medium and low qualifications. What are the reasons for this development?

Although Belgium is a highly developed and densely populated country, it has a relatively high fertility rate, with about 1.7 to 1.8 children per woman. In contrast to Germany, highly educated women also show a relatively high fertility rate. Our findings suggest that Belgium's leading position in the expansion of childcare over the last decades might play a role in this respect. In our study, we analysed the transition to the second child. We have observed that this transition is much faster for highly educated women in Belgian municipalities with well-developed childcare facilities than in municipalities with lower provision of childcare. In contrast, the positive correlation was much less pronounced among women with a medium level of education and no correlation at all among women with a low level of education. This underlines the findings that the highly qualified in particular seem to benefit from the expansion of childcare.

What conclusions can be drawn from your findings for social inequality issues?

Social inequality can occur in many different forms. In terms of the number of children born, the expansion of childcare in Belgium seems to have contributed to reducing inequality between the educational groups. In recent years, however, we have observed the tendency that the fertility level of higher-qualified women even exceeds that of women with medium and low education. In this case, positive effects of childcare on the fertility behaviour of higher-qualified women would contribute to an increase in inequality between the educational groups in regard to the number of children. However, child care can also have a very different effect on social inequality, for example when it comes to the access to early childhood education. Access to childcare for children from disadvantaged families can have a positive effect on their development and thus help to counteract social inequality. However, this requires that these groups have good access to care facilities and make use of existing opportunities. This seems to be a problem in Belgium. The more inclusive Scandinavian reconciliation policy could serve as a model in addressing these problems.

What is the situation in Germany in this regard?

In view of the continuing low level of fertility among female academics, the expansion of childcare in Germany is currently still more likely to contribute to a decline in inequality between educational groups with regard to the number of children. In recent years, however, the fertility level of female academics has been rising, which seems to be related to the family policy reforms of the last 15 years, which promote a better reconcilability of family and work life. In this respect, it cannot be ruled out that in Germany, too, we could find ourselves in a situation in the future in which the expansion of childcare is more likely to contribute to an increase in social inequality between educational groups in terms of the number of children. It should also be considered that in disadvantaged groups, economic uncertainty is becoming an increasingly important factor in postponing birth decisions. These aspects will need other approaches than the problem of compatibility which affects many higher educated people. This complexity should be taken into account when designing family policies which aim to support as many social groups as possible.

Wood, Jonas; Klüsener, Sebastian; Neels, Karel; Myrskylä, Mikko (2020): Shifting links in the relationship between education and fertility. Population, Space and Place 26(8): e2342.