Effect of education on second births in Hungary. A test of the partner effect hypothesis

Tamás Bartus, Corvinus University of Budapest
Lívia Murinkó, Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO)
Ivett Szalma, Corvinus University of Budapest
Bernadett Szél, Corvinus University of Budapest

The effect of education on the transition to second births is examined using three waves of the Hungarian Gender and Generations Survey data. We hypothesize that higher education increases the hazard of second conception and this effect is due to the presence of highly educated partner. Parity-specific survival models are estimated using the sample of women born between 1946 and 1983. We find that higher education decreases the time to second conception, and the partner’s education reduces the waiting time to second conception. The results remain robust after controlling for sample selection. The findings support the partner effect hypothesis (Kreyenfeld 2002)