Schooling, fertility and the labour market experience of married women

A model of career path choice is constructed for a sample of women taken from the 1991 US National Household Education Survey. This allows for simultaneity and selection effects in the relationship between regime choice and earning. It is established that, inter alia, expected earnings have a significant impact on the career path and the hours of work chosen by American women. The role played by formal schooling and by childrearing in the determination of carrier path is highlighted, and implications are discussed.