A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Gender Differences in the Timing and Chances of Parenthood Across Regions




AuthorsNisén, Jessica; Dahlberg, Johan; Slabá, Jitka; Trimarchi, Alessandra

PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd

Publication year2026

Journal: Population, Space and Place

Volume32

Issuee70187

First page 1

Last page16

ISSN1544-8444

eISSN1544-8452

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70187

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70187

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508336969

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

An increasing number of studies have examined fertility variation at the regional level within countries, but this research has largely focused on women. As a result, our knowledge of regional variation in male fertility remains limited. The current study addresses this research gap by examining how the timing and chances of parenthood vary regionally for women and men in four countries in Northern and Western Europe. We hypothesize that gender differences in first-time parenthood may be less pronounced in urban centers, such as the capital regions, and especially among groups with higher levels of education. The study is based on data collected from female and male cohorts born between 1963 and 1970 in Finland, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The results largely support our hypotheses, indicating that differences in the age at first birth and in the share of parents between capital and other regions are less pronounced among men than among women in all countries except the Netherlands. Consequently, there are smaller gender differences in first-time parenthood in capital regions across three of the four countries. Furthermore, highly educated women and men living in capital regions are most similar in terms of their age at first birth and the share of parents.


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Funding information in the publication
Research Council of Finland (INVEST Research Flagship). Grant Numbers: 332863, 320162; The Strategic Research Council (SRC) of the Research Council of Finland, FLUX consortium (Family Formation in Flux—Causes, Consequences, and Possible Futures); Rockwool Foundation (Determinants of later and forgone parenthood in the Nordic countries); French National Research Agency, ANR-16-CE41-0007-01; Open access publishing facilitated by Turun yliopisto, as part of the Wiley - FinELib agreement.


Last updated on 03/03/2026 09:21:35 AM