Childcare and its effects on the intention to have more children in Spain
Abstract
Spain has one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe. The lack of support services for families with children has been cited as one of the structural causes of Spain’s low fertility rate. In this context, support for formal childcare, especially from 0-3 years old, is considered a crucial resource for improving the current situation. Using data from the 2018 Spanish Fertility Survey, this article analyses the relationship between childcare strategies and mothers’ intentions to have more children. We distinguish between three groups of mothers: those with children aged 0-3 years old, those with only one child, and those with fewer children than desired. We also differentiate between four care strategies: parental, informal, formal private and formal public. Logistic regression methods show a positive association between informal care (e.g., care provided by grandparents) and the intention to have more children. Regarding formal care, the results are mixed. Public care is positively associated with the intention to have more children, while private care is negatively associated. Finally, the economic resources that families allocate to childcare are a strong mediator of the relationship between childcare strategies and the intention to have more children.
Keywords
childcare, fertility intentions, strategies, women, SpainReferences
Aassve, Arnstein; Meroni, Elena y Pronzato, Chiara (2012). «Grandparenting and Childbearing in the Extended Family». European Journal of Population / Revue Européenne de Démographie, 28(4), 499-518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-012-9273-2
Adsera, Alicia (2006). «An Economic Analysis of the Gap between Desired and Actual Fertility: The Case of Spain». Review of Economics of the Household, 4(1), 75-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-005-6698-y
Ajenjo Cosp, Marc y García Román, Joan (2014). «Cambios en el uso del tiempo de las parejas: ¿Estamos en el camino hacia una mayor igualdad?». Revista Internacional de Sociología, 72(2), 453-476. https://doi.org/10.3989/ris.2012.05.28
Andersson, Gunar; Duvander, Ann-Zofie y Hank, Karsten (2004). «Do childcare characteristics influence continued childbearing in Sweden?: An investigation of the quantity, quality and price dimension». Journal of European Social Policy, 14, 407-418.
Baizán, Pau (2009). «Regional child care availability and fertility decisions in Spain». Demographic Research, 21, 803-842. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2009.21.27
Baizán, Pau; Arpino, Bruno y Delclòs, Carlos E. (2016). «The Effect of Gender Policies on Fertility: The Moderating Role of Education and Normative Context». European Journal of Population, 32(1), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-015-9356-y
Brilli, Ylenia; Del Boca, Daniela y Pronzato, Chiara (2016). «Does Child Care Availability Play a Role in Maternal Employment and Children’s Development?: Evidence from Italy». Review of Economics of the Household, 14(1), 27-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-013-9227-4
Billari, Francesco y Kohler, Hans-Peter (2004). «Patterns of Low and Lowest Low Fertility in Europe». Population Studies, 58, 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1080/0032472042000213695
Brodmann, Stefanie; Esping-Andersen, Gøsta y Güell, Maia (2007). «When Fertility Is Bargained: Second Births in Denmark and Spain». European Sociological Review, 23(5), 599-613. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcm025
Castro-Martín, Teresa y Martín Garcia, Teresa (2013). «The fertility gap in Spain: Late parenthood, few children and unfulfilled reproductive desires», En: Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (coord.). The fertility gap in Europe: Singularities of the Spanish case. Barcelona: Obra Social “la Caixa”.
Del Boca, Daniela (2002). «The effect of child care and part time opportunities on participation and fertility decisions in Italy». Journal of Population Economics, 15(3), 549-573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001480100089
Del Boca, Daniela; Aaberge, Rolf; Colombino, Ugo; Ermisch, John; Francesconi, Marco; Pasqua, Silvia y Strom, Steinar (2003). Labour Market Participation of Women and Fertility: The Effect of Social Policies.
Diprete, Thomas A.; Morgan, Philip S.; Engelhardt, Henriette y Pacalova, Hana (2003). «Do Cross-National Differences in the Costs of Children Generate Cross-National Differences in Fertility Rates?». Population Research and Policy Review, 22(5), 439-477. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:POPU.0000020961.89068.91
Esping-Andersen, Gøsta (2009). «The Incomplete Revolution: Adapting to Women’s New Roles». Cambridge. Journal of Social Policy, 39(3), 483-484. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279410000085
Esping-Andersen, Gøsta y Billari, Francesco (2015). «Re-theorizing Family Demographics». Population and Development Review, 41(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2015.00024.x
Esteve, Albert; Devolder, Daniel y Domingo, Andreu (2016). «La infecundidad en España: Tic-tac, tic-tac, tic-tac!!!». Perspectives Demogràfiques, 1, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.46710/ced.pd.esp.1
Esteve, Albert y Treviño, Rocío (2019). «Los grandes porqués de la (in)fecundidad en España. Perspectives Demogràfiques, 15, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.46710/ced.pd.esp.15
Fiori, Francesca (2011). «Do childcare arrangements make the difference?: A multilevel approach to the intention of having a second child in Italy». Population, Space and Place, 17(5), 579-596. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.567
Gauthier, Anne H. (2007). «The impact of family policies on fertility in industrialized countries: A review of the literature». Population Research and Policy Review, 26(3), 323-346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-007-9033-x
Goldscheider, Frances; Bernhardt, Eva y Lappegård, Trude (2015). «The Gender Revolution: A Framework for Understanding Changing Family and Demographic Behavior». Population and Development Review, 41(2), 207-239. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2015.00045.x
Hank, Karsten y Kreyenfeld, Michaela (2003). «A Multilevel Analysis of Child Care and Women’s Fertility Decisions in Western Germany». Journal of Marriage and Family, 65(3), 584-596. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00584.x
Hilgeman, Christian y Butts, Carter T. (2009). «Women’s employment and fertility: A welfare regime paradox». Social Science Research, 38(1), 103-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.08.005
INE (2018). Encuesta de Fecundidad. Recuperado de <https://www.ine.es/
Kaufman, Gayle (2000). «Do Gender Role Attitudes Matter?: Family Formation and Dissolution Among Traditional and Egalitarian Men and Women». Journal of Family Issues, 21(1), 128-144. https://doi.org/10.1177/019251300021001006
Kohler, Hans-Peter; Billari, Francesco y Ortega, José A. (2002). «The Emergence of Lowest-Low Fertility in Europe during the 1990s». Population and Development Review, 28(4), 641-680. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2002.00641.x
Lappegård, Trude; Neyer, Gerda y Vignoli, Daniele (2021). «Three dimensions of the relationship between gender role attitudes and fertility intentions». Genus, 77(15). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41118-021-00126-6
León, Margarita; Palomera, David; Ibáñez, Zyrab; Martínez-Virto, Lucía y Gabaldón-Estevan, Daniel (2022). «Entre la equidad y la conciliación: Similitudes y disparidades en el diseño institucional del primer ciclo de educación infantil en España». Papers, 107(3), e3084. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.3084
León, Margarita y Maestripieri, Lara (2022). «Presentation: Who Benefits from childcare expansion?: Equal opportunities, social investment and social innovation in early years education and care». Papers, 107(3), e3124. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.3124
Luci-Greulich, Angela y Thévenon, Olivier (2013). «The Impact of Family Policies on Fertility Trends in Developed Countries». European Journal of Population / Revue Européenne de Démographie, 29(4), 387-416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-013-9295-4
McDonald, Peter (2000). «Gender Equity in Theories of Fertility Transition». Population and Development Review, 26(3), 427-439. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2000.00427.x
Meil, Gerardo; Diaz-Gandasegui, Vicente; Rogero-García, Jesús y Romero-Balsas, Pedro (2021). «Non-Parental Childcare in France, Norway, and Spain». En: Castrén, Anna-Maija; Česnuityté, Vida; Crespi, Isabella; Gauthier, Jacques-Antoine; Gouveia, Rita; Martin, Claude; Moreno Mínguez, Almudena; Suwada, Katarzyna (eds.). The Palgrave Handbook of Family Sociology in Europe. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73306-3_17
Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional (2023). Estadísticas de Enseñanzas No Universitarias. Recuperado de <https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/estadisticas/indicadores/cifras-educacion-espana.html [Fecha de consulta: 12 de abril de 2023].
Mörk, Eva; Sjögren, Anna y Svaleryd, Helena (2009). «Cheaper Child Care, More Children». SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1329580
Okun, Barbara S. y Raz-Yurovich, Liat (2019). «Housework, Gender Role Attitudes, and Couples’ Fertility Intentions: Reconsidering Men’s Roles in Gender Theories of Family Change». Population and Development Review, 45(1), 169-196. https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12207
Plantenga, Jenneke y Remery, Chantal (2009). The provision of childcare services: A comparative review of 30 European countries. Luxemburgo: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
Plantenga, Jenneke y Remery, Chantal (2015). «Provision of Childcare services: A Comparative review of EU Member States». CESifo DICE report, 13, 20-24.
Poveda, Daniel; Mendoza-Pérez, Karmele y Matsumoto, Mitsuko (2023). «Barreras de acceso a la educación infantil (0-3 años) para las familias en riesgo social: Un análisis de los discursos de familias y profesionales en cinco áreas metropolitanas de España». Revista Complutense de Educación, 34(2), 427-436. https://doi.org/10.5209/rced.79380
Rindfuss, Ronald R.; Guilkey, David K.; Morgan, S. Philip; Kravdal, Øystein y Guzzo, Karen B. (2007). «Child care availability and first-birth timing in Norway». Demography, 44(2), 345-372. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2007.0017
Rindfuss, Ronald. R.; Guilkey, David K.; Morgan, S. Philip y Kravdal, Øystein (2010). «Child-care availability and fertility in Norway». Population and Development Review, 36(4), 725-748. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2010.00355.x
Rutigliano, Roberta (2020). «Counting on Potential Grandparents?: Adult Children’s Entry Into Parenthood Across European Countries». Demography, 57(4), 1393-1414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-020-00890-8
Rutigliano, Roberta y Lozano, Mariona (2022). «Do I want more if you help me?: The impact of grandparental involvement on men’s and women’s fertility intentions». Genus, 78(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41118-022-00161-x
Saurí Saula, Enric y González Motos, Sheila (2022). «Justificacions i condicionants de la tria de cura en el 0-3: És la pública una opció per a mi?». Papers, 107(3), e3065. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.3065
Sobotka, Tomáš (2010). «Shifting Parenthood to Advanced Reproductive Ages: Trends, Causes and Consequences». En: Tremmel, Joerg (ed.). A Young Generation under Pressure? Nueva York: Springer, 129-154. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03483-1_7
Sobotka, Tomáš y Beaujouan, Éva (2014). «Two Is Best?: The Persistence of a Two-Child Family Ideal in Europe». Population and Development Review, 40(3), 391-419. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2014.00691.x
Tanskanen, Antti y Rotkirch, Anna (2014). «The impact of grandparental investment on mothers’ fertility intentions in four European countries». Demographic Research, 31, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2014.31.1
Thévenon, Olivier y Gauthier, Anne H. (2011). «Family Policies in Developed Countries: A “Fertility-Booster” with Side-effects». Community, Work & Family, 14(2), 197-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2011.571400
Published
Downloads
Copyright (c) 2025 Maida Elena Juni García, Alba Lanau Sánchez, Albert Esteve Palós
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
