Sociodemographic studies of fertility and divorce in Norway with emphasis on the importance of economic factors

This is a doctoral dissertation, defended at the University of Oslo 11 February 1994. The eight separate studies that are included in the dissertation, are primarily devoted to the timing of first birth, the proportion of two-child mothers who have an additional child, and the stability of marital unions.

Special attention is paid to the influence of economic factors, such as women's educational level and work experience, and husbands' income. lt seems that economic  considerations are quite important in certain aspects of reproductive decision-making. However, the results also suggest that some contemporary differences in the costs of childbearing may be inadequately described by economic-demographic theory. There is some support for the idea that secularization may have been a key driving force behind the weakening of the traditional marriage and the drop to below-replacement fertility.

The studies also address the relationships between age at first birth, age at marriage, the progression to parity three, the total number of children, and the divorce rate. These relationships are partly of a causal nature, partly due to selection.Keywords: Demographic analysis, Divorce, Education, Fertility, Income, Labour force participation.