Becoming a mother in Romania: exploring the effect of educational attainment

Cornelia Muresan, University Babes-Bolyai of Cluj

Motherhood postponement is responsible for a significant part of contemporary very low fertility, and it is known by a large body of research conducted over the world that women’s increased human capital is an explanation of the delayed entry into motherhood. But the education’s influence is complex and there are several ways by which educational attainment or educational enrolment contribute to delaying motherhood. In this study, we investigate women’s transition to first birth in Romania, focusing on the impact of women’s education. We simultaneously consider the influence of educational level, enrolment in education, and time elapsed since completion of education on the transition to motherhood. These three aspects of the role of education that influence the delay of entry into motherhood in the most recent fifteen years are contrasted with their respective influence during the last fifteen years of state socialism.