Following forty years of almost continual decrease, between 2001 and 2008 Australia’s total fertility increased from 1.73 to 1.97. The increase overlapped with a series of changes to family-related benefits which were designed primarily to provide financial assistance to families, but for which pronatalist intent was also apparent. The more significant changes were the introduction of a universal, flat-rate payment to parents of new-born children and an increased subsidisation of child care. This paper analyses recent individual-level fertility patterns in Australia, using data from a large-scale longitudinal survey and focusing on the effects of changes to family benefits. The effects of macroeconomic variables, entitlements to family-friendly working conditions, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics also are considered. The results show the effects of the ‘Baby Bonus’ and the Child Care Rebate on fertility have been slight. Education, income, occupation, marital status, age and parity are significant factors affecting a woman’s fertility.
Presented by:
Nick Parr (Macquarie University)
Date & time:
January 10, 2011 4:00 pm
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