Publicado

2018-01-01

Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone

La procreación precoz y la opción de posponer

A procriação precoz e a opção de adiar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/cuad.econ.v37n73.58537

Palabras clave:

Childbearing, education, option value, fertility decisions, Colombia (en)
maternidad, educación, valor de opción, decisiones sobre la fertilidad, Colombia (es)
maternidade, educação, valor de opção, decisões sobre a fertilidade, Colômbia (pt)

Descargas

Autores/as

  • Blanca Zuluaga Universidad icesi

This paper uses the option value theory to analyse whether there is any value in postponing childbearing for young women. The main insights are based on the idea that the costs of bearing tend to decrease in time and are subject to uncertainty. The analysis involves women with different socioeconomic characteristics. Our findings suggest that, as long as the possibilities of poorer women to reach high schooling increase, they will optimally postpone childbearing. In other words, early childbearing by impoverished women might be a rational reaction to their disadvantaged situation, where opportunities to reach high achievements are low, with or without a child.

Este artículo emplea la teoría del valor para analizar si hay un valor para una mujer joven de posponer la maternidad. Los principales argumentos están basados en la idea de que el costo de tener un hijo decrece con el tiempo y que está sujeto a incertidumbre. Hacemos el análisis para mujeres con distintas características socioeconómicas. Los resultados sugieren que mientras las posibilidades para las mujeres pobres de alcanzar altos niveles de escolaridad sean altas, ellas elegirán posponer la maternidad. En otras palabras, la maternidad temprana para las mujeres pobres podrá verse como una reacción óptima a su situación desaventajada, donde las oportunidades de alcanzar altos logros son bajas, con o sin un hijo.

Este artigo emprega a teoria do valor para analisar se há um valor para uma mulher jovem ao adiar a maternidade. Os principais argumentos e baseiam na ideia de que o custo de ter um filho decresce com o tempo e que está sujeito à incerteza. Fazemos a análise em mulheres com distintas características socioeconómicas. Os resultados sugerem que enquanto as possibilidades para as mulheres pobres de alcançar altos níveis de escolaridade sejam altas, elas elegerão adiar a maternidade. Isto é, a maternidade temporãmente para as mulheres pobres poderá ver-se como uma reação ótima à sua situação desvantajosa, onde as oportunidades de alcançar altos patamares de sucesso são baixas, com ou sem um filho.

Referencias

Andersen, L. (2001). Social mobility in Latin America: Links with adolescent schooling (Working Paper R-433). Inter-American Development Bank.

Arrow, A., & Fisher, K. (1974). Environmental preservation, uncertainty and irreversibility. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 88(2), 312-319.

Baetschmann, G., Staub, K., & Studer, R. (2016). Does the stork deliver happiness? Parenthood and life satisfaction. Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organisation, 30, 242-260.

Becker, G. (1965). A theory of the allocation of time. The Economic Journal, 75(299), 493-517.

Becker, G. (1993). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. Chicago (Ill.): University of Chicago press.

Becker, G., Murphy, K., & Tamura, R. (1990). Human capital, fertility, and economic growth. The Journal of Political Economy, 98(5), S12-S37.

Bernanke, B. (1983). Irreversibility, uncertainty, and cyclical investment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics , 98(1), 85-106.

Beutel, A. (2000). The relationship between adolescent nonmarital childbearing and educational expectations: A cohort and period comparison. The Sociological Quarterly, 41(2), 297-314.

Dixit, A. (1992). Investment and hysteresis. Journal of Economic Perspective, 6(1), 107-132.

Dixit, A., & Pindyck, R. (1994). Investment under uncertainty. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Gangadharan, L., & Maitra, P. (2003). The effect of education on the timing of marriage and first birth in Pakistan. Journal of Quantitative Economics, New Series, 1(1), 114 - 133.

Gaviria, A. (2002). Los que suben y los que bajan: educación y movilidad social en Colombia. México: Alfaomega.

Geronimus, A., & Korenman, S. (1992). The socioeconomic consequences of teen childbearing reconsidered. Quarterly Journal of Economics , 107(4), 1187-1214.

Geronimus, A., & Korenman, S. (1993). The socioeconomic cost of teenage childbearing: Evidence and interpretation. Demography, 30(2), 281-290.

Grogger, J., & Bronars, S. (1993). The socioeconomic consequences of teenage childbearing: Findings from a natural experiment. Family Planning Perspectives, 25(4), 156-174.

Haggstrom, G. et al. (1981). Teenage parents: Their ambitions and attainments. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.

Harrison, G., Lau M. , & Williams, M. (2002). Estimating individual discount rates in Denmark: A field experiment. American Economic Review, 92(5), 1606-1617.

Henry, C. (1974). Investment decisions under uncertainty: The irreversible effect. The American Economic Review , 64(6), 1006-1012.

Hobcraft, J., & Kiernan, K. (2001). Childhood poverty, early motherhood and adult social exclusion. British Journal of Sociology, 52(3), 495-517.

Hogan, V., & Walker, I. (2005). Education choice under uncertainty and public policy. Mimeo: University College Dublin.

Hotz, J., Mullin, Ch., & Sanders, S. (1997). Bounding causal effects using data from a contaminated natural experiment: Analysing the effects of teenage childbearing. Review of Economics Studies, 64, 575-603.

Hotz, J., Williams McElroy, S., & Sanders, S. (2005). Teenage childbearing and its life cycle consequences: Exploiting a natural experiment. Journal of Human Resources, 40(3), 683-715.

Iyer, S., & Velu, C. (2006). Real options and demographic decisions. Journal of Development Economics, 80, 39-58.

Kantorová, V. (2002). Education and entry into motherhood: The Czech Republic during state - socialism and the transition period (1970 - 1997). Marx Planck Institute for Demographic Research. Germany.

Klepinger, D., Lundberg, S., & Plotnick, R. (1999a). How does adolescent fertility affect the human capital and wages of young women? Journal of Human Resources , 34(3), 421-448.

Klepinger, D., Lundberg, S., & Plotnick, R. (1999b). Teen childbearing and human capital: Does timing matter? (Discussion paper). Washington University.

Levine, D., & Painter, G. (2003). The schooling costs of teenage out of wedlock childbearing: Analysis with a within school propensity score matching estimator. Review of Economics and Statistics, 85(4), 884-900.

Myrskilä, M., & Margolis, R. (2014). Happiness: Before and after the kids. Demography , 51(5), 1843-1866.

McDonald, R., & Siegel, D. (1986). The value of waiting to invest. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 101(4), 707-727.

Merton, R. (1969). Lifetime portfolio selection under uncertainty: The continuous-time case. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 51(3), 247-257.

Pindyck, R. (1991). Irreversibility, uncertainty, and investment. Journal of Economic Literature, 29(3), 1110-1148.

Pindyck, R. (1993). Investments of uncertain cost. Journal of Financial Economics, 34, 53-76.

Pindyck, R. (1993). A note on competitive investment under uncertainty. American Economic Review , 83(1), 273-277.

Profamilia. (2005). Demography and health Survey [Data file]. Retrieved from https://dhsprogram.com/.

Rindfuss, R., St. John , & Bumpass, L. (1984). Education and the timing of motherhood: Disentangling causation. Journal of Marriage and Family, 46(4), 981-984.

Tavares, L. (2010). Who delays childbearing? The relationships between fertility, education and personality traits (Working Paper 2010, 17). Colchester: Institute for Social and Economic Research.

Upchurch, D., & McCarthy, J. (1990). The timing of a first birth and high school completion. American Sociological Review, 55(2), 224-234.

Waite, L., & Moore, K. (1978). The impact of an early first birth on young women’s educational attainment. Social Forces, 56(3), 843-864.

Williams McElroy, S. (1996). Early childbearing, high school completion, and college enrolment: Evidence from 1980 high school sophomores. Economics of Education Review, 15(3), 303-324.

Wolfe, B., Wilson, K., & Haveman, R. (2001). The role of economics incentives in teenage non-marital choices. Journal of Public Economics, 81, 473-511.

Cómo citar

APA

Zuluaga, B. (2018). Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone. Cuadernos de Economía, 37(73), 167–198. https://doi.org/10.15446/cuad.econ.v37n73.58537

ACM

[1]
Zuluaga, B. 2018. Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone. Cuadernos de Economía. 37, 73 (ene. 2018), 167–198. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/cuad.econ.v37n73.58537.

ACS

(1)
Zuluaga, B. Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone. Cuad. econ 2018, 37, 167-198.

ABNT

ZULUAGA, B. Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone. Cuadernos de Economía, [S. l.], v. 37, n. 73, p. 167–198, 2018. DOI: 10.15446/cuad.econ.v37n73.58537. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/ceconomia/article/view/58537. Acesso em: 22 ene. 2025.

Chicago

Zuluaga, Blanca. 2018. «Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone». Cuadernos De Economía 37 (73):167-98. https://doi.org/10.15446/cuad.econ.v37n73.58537.

Harvard

Zuluaga, B. (2018) «Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone», Cuadernos de Economía, 37(73), pp. 167–198. doi: 10.15446/cuad.econ.v37n73.58537.

IEEE

[1]
B. Zuluaga, «Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone», Cuad. econ, vol. 37, n.º 73, pp. 167–198, ene. 2018.

MLA

Zuluaga, B. «Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone». Cuadernos de Economía, vol. 37, n.º 73, enero de 2018, pp. 167-98, doi:10.15446/cuad.econ.v37n73.58537.

Turabian

Zuluaga, Blanca. «Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone». Cuadernos de Economía 37, no. 73 (enero 1, 2018): 167–198. Accedido enero 22, 2025. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/ceconomia/article/view/58537.

Vancouver

1.
Zuluaga B. Early Childbearing and the Option to Postpone. Cuad. econ [Internet]. 1 de enero de 2018 [citado 22 de enero de 2025];37(73):167-98. Disponible en: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/ceconomia/article/view/58537

Descargar cita

CrossRef Cited-by

CrossRef citations1

1. Jesús García-Gómez, Emilio Parrado. (2023). Early Childbearing of Immigrant Women and Their Descendants in Spain. Population Research and Policy Review, 42(4) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-023-09802-1.

Dimensions

PlumX

Visitas a la página del resumen del artículo

388

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.