title: Purchased child care, optimal family size and mother's employment: theory and econometric analysis.
abstract: This paper develops a model of family size decisions in which couples choose explicitly a combination of mother's time and purchased childcare (childminder, nanies) for the care and rearing of children.  The theoretical model implies that the impact of the mother's wage on her complete fertility varies with the market price of childcare, and that this effect increases (becoming less negative or more positive) with the level of her wage.  Econometric analysis of British micro-data confirms the main predictions of the model.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ermisch
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D002654:Child Care; D002668:Child Rearing; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004467:Economics; D004651:Employment; D005060:Europe; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005298:Fertility; D006280:Health Workforce; D007182:Income; D018803:Models, Economic; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012106:Research; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Behavior; Child Care; Child Rearing; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Economic Factors; Economic Model; Employment--women; Europe; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Family Size; Fertility; Human Resources; Income; Labor Force--women; Macroeconomic Factors; Models, Theoretical; Northern Europe; Population; Population Dynamics; Research Methodology; Socioeconomic Factors; United Kingdom; Wages