Netherlands
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Views and concepts relating to population problems in the Netherlands 1918–1939
AI summaryThis article traces how discussions about overpopulation and population problems developed in the Netherlands between 1918 and 1939, noting that such debate only began after 1919 amid concerns over economic issues linked to rapid population growth. It highlights that fertility decline in the densely populated Netherlands occurred more slowly than in other countries, and aims to help explain the country's unusual demographic trajectory over the past century.
Abstract
Summary The problem of the possibility of overpopulation in the Netherlands has never been a subject of debate. The tempo of decline of fertility in this densely populated country was, however, much slower than elsewhere. Discussion started only after 1919, when economic problems relating to a rapidly expanding population were studied. The object of this article is to trace the development of such discussion in the Netherlands between the two world wars. The article is intended to make a contribution to explaining the exceptional situation of the Netherlands during the last hundred years in respect of population.
Fertility Outcomes of Adult Children With Divorced Parents: Evidence From Population Data
AI summaryUsing three-generation administrative data from the Netherlands, this study examines how parental divorce affects the fertility outcomes of adult children, finding that those from divorced families have lower completed fertility and higher rates of childlessness compared to those from continuously married families. The findings suggest this pattern is driven by adult children of divorce exiting marital or cohabiting unions earlier, with the resulting shorter relationship durations helping explain their reduced likelihood of having children. These results remain robust across multiple methodological checks, including treatment effect bounds, comparisons using parental death, and cousin fixed effects.
Abstract
Abstract Each year, a substantial proportion of children experience the divorce of their parents. Despite numerous studies examining the consequences of parental divorce across various aspects of children's well-being in childhood, evidence of their family prospects in adulthood is scarce. Using administrative data from the Netherlands that spans three generations, we provide the first evidence based on population data of completed fertility and childlessness of children whose parents divorced. Our results suggest that adult children from divorced families have lower completed fertility and more frequently remain childless than adult children from continuously married families. Our findings support the hypothesis that adult children from divorced families exit marital or cohabiting relationships earlier than adult children from continuously married families, and the shorter duration of these unions contributes to explaining their lower likelihood of having first-order or higher order births. These results are robust to treatment effect bounds, using parental death as a source of parental loss, and cousin fixed effects.