Why Do Fertility Levels Vary between Urban and Rural Areas?

Kulu H. Why do fertility levels vary between urban and rural areas?, Regional Studies. This study examines the causes of fertility variation across settlements. It uses rich longitudinal data from Finland and applies event history analysis. Analysis shows that fertility levels are the highest in small towns and rural areas and the lowest in the capital city, as expected. The socio-economic characteristics of women and selective migrations account for only a small portion of fertility variation across settlements. Housing conditions explain a significant portion of urban-rural fertility variation for the first birth, but little variation for the second and the third births. The analysis suggests that there are also significant contextual effects.