![Sample our Bioscience journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5925/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Bioscience.jpg"})
Abstract
Previous tests of the economic theory of fertility using multivariate regression techniques have generally analyzed only cross‐sectional data. Some students of fertility, notably Janowitz (1973a,b), have argued that such studies must also be conducted with change data. This paper presents tests of the economic theory of fertility with both cross‐sectional and change data for the 48 contiguous states. The cross‐sectional analyses examined the effects of male and female income on the marital fertility of 20–24 year olds for 1950, 1960, and 1970 while controlling for the effects of education, urbanization, race, religion, and population density. Controlling for the effects of the same noneconomic variables, a second set of multivariate regression analyses examined the effects of changes in male and female income on changes in the level of marital fertility of 20–24 year olds during the 1950–60 and 1960–70 periods. Both the analyses with cross‐sectional data and change scores provided support for the economic theory.