We investigate the determinants of the fertility decline in Europe from 1830 to 1970 using a newly constructed dataset of linguistic distances between European regions. We find that the fertility decline resulted from a gradual diffusion of new fertility behavior from French-speaking regions to...

In allen OECD-Ländern sind die Geburtenraten in den letzten vierzig Jahren erheblich gesunken. Trotz dieses gemeinsamen Trends kann aber sowohl in der zeitlichen Entwicklung als auch im aktuellen Stand des Geburtenverhaltens eine erhebliche Heterogenität beobachtet werden. Deutschland, Spanien...

This article examines the characteristics of women and men who got a child despite declaring no such wish up to three years before the pregnancy. We compare these unintended or sooner-than-intended parents with those who got a child as intended and those who, in line with their intentions, did...

The life span between the mid-twenties and the late thirties is characterised by multiple demands. In recent years, the expression "rush hour of life" has been used to describe periods of time when conflicting demands are felt most acutely, in particular related to family formation and...