The object of this paper is to see how far developments in the labour market can help to explain the fluctuations in births which have been experienced over the period 1952-1980 in England and Wales. We examine separately the period rate of childless women proceeding to the first birth, mothers...

Models to explain the chances of economic activity, employment and full-time work in a national cross-section of British women in 1980 in terms of a number of demographic and economic variables are estimated by OLS. Marital status differentials are minor once the presence of dependent children...