Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-lqqdg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-21T16:54:23.169Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Birth intervals and women's economic activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Máire Ní Bhrolcháin
Máire Ní Bhrolcháin
Affiliation:
Centre for Population Studies, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Some hypotheses regarding birth spacing and women's work are outlined. Using British census and survey data it is shown that average second and third birth intervals were shorter in marriages taking place in the 10 years following the Second World War as compared with marriages in the period 1900–29; the intervals increased again, measured on a period basis, in the 1970s. Birth intervals for women married during the 10 years after the war were shorter among those economically active at the 1971 census than among the inactive. Some problems of method are discussed.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , January 1985 , pp. 31 - 46
Copyright
Copyright © 1985, Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bowen, W.G. & Finegan, T.A. (1969) The Economics of Labour Force Participation. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.Google Scholar
Britton, M. (1979) Birth intervals. Popul. Trends, 18, 8.Google Scholar
Britton, M. (1980) Recent trends in births. Popul. Trends, 20, 4.Google Scholar
Britton, M. & Langford, C.M. (1976) Work since marriage. In: Birth Control Practice and Marital Fertility in Great Britain, Chap. 8. Population Investigation Committee, London.Google Scholar
Bumpass, L.L. & Sweet, J.A. (1980) Patterns of Employment Before and After Childbirth. Series 23, No. 4. National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland.Google ScholarPubMed
Collomb, P. & Zucker, E. (1977) Aspects Culturels et Sociopsychologiques de la Fécondité Francaise. Travaux et Documents, Cahier No. 80. INED, Paris.Google Scholar
Department of Employment (1974) Female Activity Rates. DE Gazette, 01 1974, p. 8.Google Scholar
Deville, J.C. (1977a) Analyse harmonique du calendrier de constitution des familles en France. Population, 32, 17.Google Scholar
Deville, J.C. (1977b) Activité féminine et fécondité. Economie et Statistique, 93, 51.Google Scholar
Dunnell, K. (1979) Family Formation 1976. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Elder, G.H. & Rockwell, R.C. (1976) Marital timing in women's life patterns. J. fam. Hist. 1, 34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Farahani, M.M.M. (1981) A Model of Fertility by Birth Order and Duration of Marriage. PhD thesis, University of London.Google Scholar
Freedman, R. & Coombs, L. (1966) Economic considerations in family growth decisions. Popul. Stud. 20, 177.Google Scholar
Gales, K.E. & Marks, P.H. (1974) Twentieth century trends in the work of women in England and Wales. Jl R. statist. Soc. A, 137, 60.Google Scholar
Glass, D.V. & Grebenik, E. (1954) The Trend and Pattern of Fertility in Great Britain. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Grabill, W.H. & Davidson, M. (1968) Recent trends in child-spacing among American women. Demography, 5, 212.Google Scholar
Groat, H.T., Wicks, J.W.Neal, A.G. & Hendershot, G.E. (1982) Working Women and Childbearing: United States. Series 23, No. 9, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland.Google Scholar
Groat, H.T., Workman, R.L. & Neal, A.G. (1976) Labour force participation and family formation: a study of working mothers. Demography, 13, 115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hunt, A. (1965) A Survey of Women's Employment. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Joshi, H. & Owen, S. (1981) Demographic Predictors of Women's Work Participation in Post-war Britain. Centre for Population Studies Working Paper No. 81–3, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Google Scholar
Kelsall, R.K. & Mitchell, S. (1959) Married women and employment in England and Wales. Popul. Stud. 13, 19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keyfitz, N. (1977) Applied Mathematical Demography. Wiley, London.Google Scholar
Myrdal, A. & Klein, V. (1968) Women's Two Roles, 2nd edn.Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Namboodiri, N.K. (1964) The wife's work experience and child spacing. Milbank meml Fund q. Bull. 42, 65.Google Scholar
Ní Bhrolcháin, M. (1980) Fertility and Female Employment: What Relationship? A Review of Micro-level Issues and Evidence. Centre for Population Studies Working Paper No. 80–3. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Google Scholar
Ní Bhrolcháin, M. (1983) Birth Spacing and Women's Work: Some British Evidence. Centre for Population Studies Research Paper No. 83–3. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Google Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1978) General Household Survey 1975. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1979) Census 1971. Fertility Tables (England and Wales), Vol. 3. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Sorensen, A. (1982) Women's Employment Patterns After Marriage. Centre for Demography and Ecology Working Paper No. 82–9. University of Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Stewart, C.M. (1971) The employment of married women in Great Britain. In: IUSSP International Population Conference 1969, Vol. 3, pp. 1636–1642. IUSSP, Liège.Google Scholar
Sweet, J.A. (1973) Women in the Labour Force. Seminar Press, New York.Google Scholar
Westoff, C.F., Potter, R.G., Sagi, P.C. & Mishler, E.G. (1961) Family Growth in Metropolitan America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whelpton, P.K. (1964) Trends and differentials in the spacing of births. Demography, 1, 83.Google Scholar
Young, C.M. (1978) Work sequences of women during the family life cycle. J. Marr. & Fam. 40, 401.Google Scholar
Young, C.M. (1979) Future perspectives in the economic activity of spouses during the family life cycle. In: Economic and Demographic Change: Issues for the 1980s, Vol. 3, pp. 99–111. Proceedings of IUSSP Conference, Helsinki, 1978. IUSSP, Liege.Google Scholar