{"title":"Does the Field of Study Affect Entry into Motherhood? Evidence from Italy","authors":"C. Solera, Teresa Martín-García","doi":"10.1353/prv.2020.0000","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:Differences in the transition to first motherhood in Italy have usually been explained using women’s educational attainment, income, or employment instability. Our aim is to analyse whether, and how, entries into motherhood also vary by field of study. Drawing on the Indagine Longitudinale delle Famiglie Italiane (ILFI) up to 2005, we ran discrete-time hazard rate models. The results show that in Italy highly educated women trained in science and technology are not the least prone to enter into motherhood. Rather, three distinct groups of women emerge: a) those with a general upper secondary diploma and with a degree in medicine, who are the least likely to become first-time mothers; b) those with a degree in teaching and psychology, who are the most likely to become mothers; c) those trained in all other fields, who show no difference in timing to first birth. Thus, the woman’s level and type of education seem to matter much less than what has been found in other countries. In a context with still relatively traditional gender roles and family formation processes, and with relatively weak returns to education, education appears to matter most in the transition to first union.","PeriodicalId":43131,"journal":{"name":"Population Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4000,"publicationDate":"2020-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Population Review","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1353/prv.2020.0000","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"DEMOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
Abstract:Differences in the transition to first motherhood in Italy have usually been explained using women’s educational attainment, income, or employment instability. Our aim is to analyse whether, and how, entries into motherhood also vary by field of study. Drawing on the Indagine Longitudinale delle Famiglie Italiane (ILFI) up to 2005, we ran discrete-time hazard rate models. The results show that in Italy highly educated women trained in science and technology are not the least prone to enter into motherhood. Rather, three distinct groups of women emerge: a) those with a general upper secondary diploma and with a degree in medicine, who are the least likely to become first-time mothers; b) those with a degree in teaching and psychology, who are the most likely to become mothers; c) those trained in all other fields, who show no difference in timing to first birth. Thus, the woman’s level and type of education seem to matter much less than what has been found in other countries. In a context with still relatively traditional gender roles and family formation processes, and with relatively weak returns to education, education appears to matter most in the transition to first union.
期刊介绍:
Population Review publishes scholarly research that covers a broad range of social science disciplines, including demography, sociology, social anthropology, socioenvironmental science, communication, and political science. The journal emphasizes empirical research and strives to advance knowledge on the interrelationships between demography and sociology. The editor welcomes submissions that combine theory with solid empirical research. Articles that are of general interest to population specialists are also desired. International in scope, the journal’s focus is not limited by geography. Submissions are encouraged from scholars in both the developing and developed world. Population Review publishes original articles and book reviews. Content is published online immediately after acceptance.