Do Family Wealth Shocks Affect Fertility Choices? Evidence from the Housing Market

A-Tier
Journal: Review of Economics and Statistics
Year: 2013
Volume: 95
Issue: 2
Pages: 464-475

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper uses wealth changes driven by housing market variation to estimate the effect of family resources on fertility decisions. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we show that a $100,000 increase in housing wealth among home owners causes a 16% to 18% increase in the probability of having a child. There is no evidence of an effect of MSA-level housing price growth on the fertility of renters, however. We also present evidence that housing wealth growth increases total fertility and that the responsiveness of fertility to housing wealth has increased over time, commensurate with the recent housing boom. © 2013 The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:tpr:restat:v:95:y:2013:i:2:p:464-475
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25