Working Paper: NBER ID: w3422
Authors: Mckinley L. Blackburn; David K. Bloom; David Neumark
Abstract: Women who have first births relatively late in life earn higher wages. This paper offers an explanation of this fact based on a staple life-cycle model of human capital investment and timing of first birth. The model yields conditions (that are plausibly satisfied) under which late childbearers will tend to invest more heavily in human capital than early childbearers. The empirical analysis finds results consistent with the higher wages of late childbearers arising primarily through greater measurable human capital investment.
Keywords: Fertility Timing; Human Capital; Wages; Labor Economics
JEL Codes: J13; J24; J31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Delay in first birth (J19) | Higher investment in human capital (J24) |
| Higher investment in human capital (J24) | Higher wages (J39) |
| Delay in first birth (J19) | Higher wages (J39) |
| Age at first birth (J13) | Higher investment in human capital (J24) |
| Age at first birth (J13) | Higher wages (J39) |