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Gender Equity, Opportunity Costs of Parenthood, and Educational Differences in Unintended First Births: Insights from Japan

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  • James Raymo
  • Kelly Musick
  • Miho Iwasawa

Abstract

We examine educational differences in the intendedness of first births in Japan using data from a nationally representative survey of married women (N = 2,373). We begin by describing plausible scenarios for a negative, null, and positive educational gradient in unintended first births. In contrast to well-established results from the U.S., we find evidence of a positive educational gradient in Japan. Net of basic demographic controls, university graduates are more likely than less-educated women to report first births as unintended. This pattern is consistent with a scenario emphasizing the high opportunity costs of motherhood in countries such as Japan where growing opportunities for women in employment and other domains of public life have not been accompanied by changes in the highly asymmetric roles of men and women within the family. We discuss potential implications of this suggestive finding for other low-fertility settings. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • James Raymo & Kelly Musick & Miho Iwasawa, 2015. "Gender Equity, Opportunity Costs of Parenthood, and Educational Differences in Unintended First Births: Insights from Japan," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(2), pages 179-199, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:34:y:2015:i:2:p:179-199
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-014-9348-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. James Raymo & Setsuya Fukuda & Miho Iwasawa, 2013. "Educational Differences in Divorce in Japan," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 28(6), pages 177-206.
    2. Sara Mclanahan, 2004. "Diverging destinies: How children are faring under the second demographic transition," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(4), pages 607-627, November.
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    4. Dimiter Philipov, 2011. "Theories on fertility intentions: a demographer’s perspective," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 9(1), pages 37-45.
    5. Theodore Joyce & Robert Kaestner & Sanders Korenman, 2000. "The effect of pregnancy intention on child development," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 37(1), pages 83-94, February.
    6. Brienna Perelli‐Harris & Wendy Sigle‐Rushton & Michaela Kreyenfeld & Trude Lappegård & Renske Keizer & Caroline Berghammer, 2010. "The Educational Gradient of Childbearing within Cohabitation in Europe," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 36(4), pages 775-801, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. HAGIWARA Risa & LIU Yang, 2023. "Work-life Conflicts of Native and Immigrant Women in Japan," Discussion papers 23056, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    2. Fumiya Uchikoshi & Ryohei Mogi, 2018. "Order matters: The effect of premarital pregnancy on second childbearing in Japan," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(48), pages 1305-1330.

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