Intergenerational transmission of fertility in the UK: a parity-specific investigation using the 1970 British Cohort Study

Studies in low-fertility settings have consistently found positive relationships between parents’ and children’s fertility timing and family sizes, and these persist after accounting for socio-demographic factors. We explore intergenerational transmission of fertility in Great Britain, where socio-economic inequalities are larger and could play a greater role in explaining intergenerational continuities than in other settings. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study, a long-running longitudinal data set, we estimate parity-specific discrete-time event-history models to investigate the role of mother’s family size and age at first birth in birth transitions. We find stronger evidence for transmission of birth timing and family size in transitions to first and third births than second births. Family size transmission affects daughters more than sons. Accounting for socio-economic and demographic characteristics does not explain these associations. Except for first births, transmission of fertility is equally likely across the socio-economic hierarchy, highlighting the importance of socialization and cultural preferences for fertility transmission, even in the relatively unequal British context.