Do people have more children if they work from home? The simple answer is yes. A recent study finds that working from home is linked to higher fertility. In other words, among working people, more time at home means more births.
Across 38 countries, including those in Europe, estimated lifetime fertility is higher by 0.32 children per woman when both partners work from home at least one day per week, compared with couples where neither does. In the United States, the increase rises to 0.45 children per woman.
These findings come from research by Steven J. Davis and colleagues, published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) under the title ‘Work from Home and Fertility’.
Lifetime fertility is defined as children ever born to, or fathered by, the respondent plus plans for future fertility. That means it includes both realised and planned. The sample consists of adults aged 20 to 45.
In the sample, the average number of children per woman is 2.26 when neither partner works from home (No WFH). This refers to people who worked for pay in the previous week, meaning they are not unemployed. They work at employer or client sites.
