Nonmarital fertility in Europe and North-America: what is the role of parental SES and own SES?

ENThe research in this chapter provides consistent evidence that parental SES influences partnership status at first birth in western societies. Overall, lower parental SES is related to a higher likelihood of having a first birth in cohabitation and while being single. It is possible that unequal occurrence of births in cohabitation and while being single aggravate inequalities between groups. Previous research shows that single motherhood has negative socio-economic consequences for mothers and their children (Kollmeyer 2013). Moreover, cohabiting parents are often treated differently than married parents. For example, cohabiters may be entitled to a lesser extent to tax and social security benefits. Also, after separation or death of a partner, the division of property and entitlement to inheritance may depend on the partnership status (Perelli-Harris and Gassen 2012). It is therefore important to understand if inequalities that exist at the start of parenthood could be prohibited. What may help in this regard is understanding why inequalities that are found in some western societies are not found in others. The research in this chapter suggests that the influence of parental SES on the likelihood of having a birth outside of marriage can be partly explained through the intergenerational transmission of SES. In addition, a direct – mostly negative – effect of parental SES is found. Possibly, differences in parental support in the transition to adulthood can explain these differences. In the case of single motherhood, it is also possible that parental SES influences the ability to prevent pregnancies.