Does Female Schooling Reduce Fertility? Evidence from Nigeria

41 Pages Posted: 27 Jun 2007 Last revised: 20 Mar 2022

See all articles by Una Okonkwo Osili

Una Okonkwo Osili

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Bridget Long

Harvard Graduate School of Education; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: April 2007

Abstract

The literature generally points to a negative relationship between female education and fertility. Citing this pattern, policymakers have advocated educating girls and young women as a means to reduce population growth and foster sustained economic and social welfare in developing countries. This paper tests whether the relationship between fertility and education is indeed causal by investigating the introduction of universal primary education in Nigeria. Exploiting differences by region and age, the paper uses differences-in-differences and instrumental variables to estimate the role of education in fertility. The analysis suggests that increasing education by one year reduces fertility by 0.26 births.

Suggested Citation

Osili, Una Okonkwo and Long, Bridget, Does Female Schooling Reduce Fertility? Evidence from Nigeria (April 2007). NBER Working Paper No. w13070, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=986920

Una Okonkwo Osili (Contact Author)

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) ( email )

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Bridget Long

Harvard Graduate School of Education ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://www.bridgetterrylong.com

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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