title: Fertility and social interaction at the workplace: Does childbearing spread among colleagues?
abstract: This research investigates whether colleagues' fertility influences women's transitions to parenthood. We draw on Linked-Employer-Employee data (1993-2007) from the German Institute for Employment Research comprising 33,119 female co-workers in 6579 firms. Results from discrete-time hazard models reveal social interaction effects on fertility among women employed in the same firm. In the year after a colleague gave birth, transition rates to first pregnancy double. This effect declines over time and vanishes after two years. Further analyses suggest that the influence of colleagues' fertility is mediated by social learning.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, L9, 7, D-68161 Mannheim, Germany; Mannheim Centre for European Social Research, University of Mannheim, A5, 6, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: sebastian.pink@uni-mannheim.de.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pink
authors.affiliation: University of Amsterdam, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 185, 1012 DK Amsterdam, The Netherlands; European University Institute, Via delle Fontanelle 10, I-50014 San Domenico, Italy; Chair of Population Studies, University of Bamberg, Feldkirchenstraße 21, D-96052 Bamberg, Germany. Electronic address: t.leopold@uva.nl.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leopold
authors.affiliation: Chair of Population Studies, University of Bamberg, Feldkirchenstraße 21, D-96052 Bamberg, Germany. Electronic address: henriette.engelhardt-woelfler@uni-bamberg.de.
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Engelhardt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001723:Birth Rate; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D011247:Pregnancy; D043762:Reproductive Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012923:Social Class; D000067570:Social Learning; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fertility; Linked-Employer–Employee data; Social interaction; Workplace