title: Women's paid work and the timing of births: longitudinal evidence.
abstract: It has been suggested that work-motivated women may shorten their birth intervals to allow a faster return to the workforce.  This paper:  1) considers the circumstances under which such contraction would be expected; 2) argues that British conditions in the 1940s to 1970s were favorable to the adoption of this strategy, among others; 3) discusses some methodological issues arising in the empirical treatment of the question; and 4) presents the results of analyses of work and maternity history information, which suggest that during the post-war period, labor force participation was associated with both a contraction and a lengthening of birth intervals.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ni Bhrolchain
mesh_terms: D001721:Birth Intervals; D001723:Birth Rate; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004467:Economics; D004651:Employment; D005060:Europe; D005298:Fertility; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Birth Intervals--changes; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Economic Factors; Employment Status--women; Europe; Fertility; Fertility Measurements; Northern Europe; Population; Population Dynamics; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic Status; United Kingdom