Family policies in the context of low fertility and social structure

Thomas Fent, Vienna Institute of Demography
Belinda Aparicio Diaz, Vienna Institute of Demography

Low birth rates occurred across many industrialised regions and are expected to generate negative population momentum. Below-replacement fertility is not only present in the traditional low fertility regions but even spreads to formerly high fertility countries. Consequently, family policies are high on the agenda and a substantial budget is allocated for family policies. We claim that family policies can only be effective if they conform to the social structure. We use an agent based model to develop theories of individual fertility behaviour in the context of different policies. Based on these theories we may then draw conclusions about which policies have the potential to result in an increase of fertility (or just a smaller decrease than without these policies) because they are consistent with individual fertility behaviour. Our approach can cover the full range of policies (monetary transfers, structural framework, norms and values) and their interplay on individuals' childbearing decisions.