Cohort perspectives on women's educational attainment and the timing of parenthood in Ghana

Type Journal Article - Journal of family and economic issues
Title Cohort perspectives on women's educational attainment and the timing of parenthood in Ghana
Author(s)
Volume 26
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2005
Page numbers 123-142
URL http://www.springerlink.com/index/H24T200Q16250P1J.pdf
Abstract
This paper examines the effects of womens educational attainment on the timing of parenthood across successive generations of women in Ghana. Given the more enhanced career opportunities in recent years, we argue that the opportunity cost of parenthood may be higher for contemporary educated women, and as such, they are expected to delay parenthood for longer periods than their counterparts in the past. Using data from the 1998 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we found that while higher maternal education associates with delayed parenthood, significant cohort differences were noticeable. Consistent with our expectations, the effect of higher educational attainment was substantially greater among younger women, indicating a longer transition to parenthood. Implications of the findings are discussed.

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