Trends in Childlessness Among Highly Educated Men in Sweden
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Level 3 by design analogy (longitudinal demographic cohort study).
OpenAlex W2765974405 · doi:10.1007/s10680-018-9511-3
What was done
Demographic cohort study assessing Swedish men born between 1956 and 1972 who held post-secondary degrees, tracking their childlessness status up to age 45. The study evaluated how educational prestige (degree level and institution type), social class background, and income related to the probability of fatherhood across birth cohorts.
What was found
One in four men with post-secondary degrees remained childless by age 45, a proportion that stayed constant across the 1956–1972 cohorts. Higher income and higher social class background were consistently and positively associated with becoming a father over time. In contrast, educational prestige (advanced degrees or degrees from traditional universities) was not positively associated with fatherhood, whereas 2-year degrees became increasingly positively associated with fatherhood across successive cohorts. Specific numerical effect sizes, odds ratios, or confidence intervals were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that tangible socioeconomic resources rather than formal educational credentials primarily drive male family formation in Sweden, contrasting with predictions based on educational homophily and partner-market models.
Limits
The abstract does not disclose the total sample size or quantitative risk estimates. The study is observational, cannot establish causation, and reflects the specific institutional and gender-ratio context of the Swedish educational and labor market.
Cited by
- supports In Western nations, approximately 75% of men reproduce.