2022/03/08 by Astri Syse, Michael J. Thomas, Michael Thomas +2 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Medicine · Social Sciences · #Assisted Reproductive Technology and Twin Pregnancy #Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences #Family Dynamics and Relationships
paper · doi:10.1080/00324728.2022.2041075
openalex publication_date 2022/03/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Women’s health status may affect their opportunities and preferences for children through various mechanisms. We examine the relationship between health and fertility using Norwegian registry data (2004–18). Measuring verifiable and persistent health problems, we use uptake of doctor-certified sickness absence and long-term health-related benefits as proxies for health. In contrast to the expectation that poor health limits women’s opportunities for children, our results show that sickness absence is positively associated with transitions to parenthood. The uptake of long-term benefits is, however, negatively associated with fertility. The selection of healthy women into parenthood weakens the association for higher-order births. The impact of long-term health indicators on fertility is comparable in magnitude to that observed for more conventional predictors, such as education and income. With continued postponement of childbearing and thus higher maternal ages, the influence of health as a fertility determinant is likely to grow and further research appears warranted.Supplementary material for this article is available at: http://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2022.2041075