Labour market circumstances and fertility in Italy: A first glance through ADSILC data

A number of studies have shown that economic uncertainty could have significant impacts on fertility: youth unemployment, term-limited working contracts, and unstable employment conditions may lead to a postponement in childbearing. Following this line of research and focusing on ADSILC data (a dataset that merge individuals’ work history patterns with their socio-economic characteristics), the aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of the employment status and characteristics on the probability to have a child. As we might expect, data show significant differences both at the cohort level and at the territorial level; we also find that women in different statuses (i.e., unemployed, permanent contract, temporary contract) experience different dynamics over time in terms of probability to have a child and in the timing of the first transition to motherhood. Even if the path to thorough knowledge of these phenomena is still long, we are aware that the use of ADSILC data open up new perspectives in fertility research for Italy, as they offer the possibility to follow couples over time, considering the combination of partners’ employment status and characteristics.