Educated women see a rise in fertility rates

Fertility trends over the last 50 years saw fertility rates for college educated women drop consistently with a peak in the 1990s.

Now, the trend seems to have reached its plateau and possibly begun to reverse.  For the first time, the rate of educated women without children dropped from 30% in the 1990s to 25% in 2000.

For years, women seemed to pursue education and careers in lieu of having children.  However, experts believe that a more stable economy and advancements in reproductive medicine have promoted a shift in the culture of having children.

Researchers don’t know if women are leaving the workforce to have children or are maintaining their employment.

This study on fertility rates was authored by Qingyan Shang and Bruce A. Weinberg and published in the Journal of Population Economics.