Explaining the Fertility Decline in Ireland

This paper examines explanations for the large decline in fertility that occurred in Ireland between 1970 and the mid 1990?s. We find that the increased opportunity cost of having a child together with the postponement of birth and marriage are important drivers in the fall. Declining male employment rates increase uncertainty and so reduce fertility rates. The income effect of higher husband?s incomes, reducing the impact of the increased opportunity costs for lower order births tend to move fertility in the opposite direction. However for later order births, they accentuate the fall, perhaps due to a demand for greater quality for existing children.