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Abstract

Vol. 54, No. 2, pp. 137-147 (2003)

“On the Factors Which Caused the Recent Fertility Decline in Japan”
Masako Oyama (Faculty of Economics, Hitotsubashi University)

In this paper, the causes of the recent fertility decline in Japan are analyzed empirically, using micro-data from the 10th National Fertility Survey (NFS). Particularly, the recent decline of total marital fertility is analyzed. The results of the instrumental variable estimations shows that financial variables such as husbands' income or parental support for housing have had decreased fertility, although the recent increase of female labor supply did not have much influence on it. These results are probably caused by the recent higher cost of raising and educating children in Japan.