How would mothers’ decision to work affect childbearing in Malaysia?

Economic Annals-ХХI: Volume 147, Issue 1-2(1), Pages: 98-101

Citation information:
Evan Lau, & Siti Nur Zahara Hamzah (2015). How would mothers’ decision to work affect childbearing in Malaysia? Economic Annals-XXI, 1-2(1), 98-101. https://ea21journal.world/index.php/ea-v147-24/

Evan Lau
PhD (Economics),
Associate Professor,
University Malaysia Sarawak ;
Centre for Business, Economics and Finance Forecasting (BEFfore),
Faculty of Economics and Business,
University Malaysia Sarawak
Kota Samarahan, 94300, Malaysia
lphevan@feb.unimas.my

Siti Nur Zahara Hamzah
Lecturer,
Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology
1 Persiaran Canselor, Kota Ilmu, Educity Iskandar, 79200, Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia
siti@nmit.edu.my

How would mothers’ decision to work affect childbearing in Malaysia?

Abstract. The authors analyze the dynamics of fertility and its determinants with a particular focus on the role of female education and working decisions. The analysis is based on multivariate co-integration framework and out-of-sample variance decompositions. Results provide support that in the long run, fertility decline may be the consequence of a complex dynamic interaction with per capita or household income, while self-inflicted female decision to pursue studies and career development may influence fertility decline in the short run for Malaysia. It is evident that both ideational and structural hypothesis explaining fertility are important for understanding fertility decline in Malaysia.

Keywords: Fertility; Labor Force Participation; Education; Income; Malaysia

JEL Classifications: J1; C4

Acknowledgements. The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) under the Top Down Grant Scheme 03(TD04)/1054/2013(02).

References

1. Masih, A. M. M., & Masih, R. (2000). The Dynamics of Fertility, Family Planning and Female Education in Developing Economy. Applied Economics, 32, 1617-1627.
2. Hirschman, C., & Fernandez, D. (1980). The Decline of Fertility in Peninsular Malaysia. Genus, 36, 93-127.
3. Subramaniam, T., Devadason, E. S., & Baharumshah, A. H. (2012). The Influence of the Year of the Dragon on Fertility of Chinese Malaysians: Cointegration and Variance Decomposition Analysis.
   Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=2021809 or
   doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2021809 
4. Pong, S. L. (1994). Sex Preference and Fertility in Peninsular Malaysia. Studies in Family Planning, 25, 137-148.
5. Hirschman, C. (1986). The Recent Rice in Malay Fertility: A New Trend or a Temporary Lull in a Fertility Transition? Demography, 23, 161-184.
6. Ying, S. L. (1992). Determinants of Fertility in Malaysia – How Much Do We Know? Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 23, 112-132.
7. Leete, R. (1989). Dual Fertility Trends in Malaysia’s Multiethnic Society. International Family Planning Perspectives, 15, 58-65.
8. Lim, L. L., Jones, G. W., & Hirschman, C. (1987). Continuing Fertility Transitions in a Plural Society: Ethnic Trends and Differentials in Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Biosocial Science, 19, 405-425.
9. Jones, G. W. (1990). Fertility Transitions Among Malay Populations of Southeast Asia: Puzzles of Interpretation. Population and Development Review, 16, 507-537.
10. Masih, A. M. M., & Masih, R. (1996). Temporal Causality and the Dynamics of Different Categories of Crime and Their Socioeconomic Determinants: Evidence from Australia. Applied Economics, 28, 1093-104.
11. Caldwell, J. C. (1992). The Asian Fertility Revolution: Its Implications for Transition Theories. In R. Leete & I. Alam (Eds.). The Revolution in Asian Fertility: Dimensions, Causes, and Implications. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
12. Hirschman, C., & Guest, P. (1990). The Emerging Demographic Transitions of Southeast Asia. Population and Development Review, 16, 121-152.
13. Cleland, J., & Wilson, C. (1987). Demand Theories of the Fertility Transition: An Iconoclastic View. Population Studies, 41, 5-30.
14. Granger, C. W. J. (2004). Time Series Analysis, Cointegration, and Applications. American Economic Review, 94, 421-425.
15. Johansen, S., & Juselius, K. (1990. Maximum Likelihood Estimated and Inference on Cointegration with Application to the Demand for Money. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 52, 169-210.
16. Engle R. F., & Granger, C. W. J. (1987). Cointegration and Error Correction: Representation, Estimation and Testing. Econometrica, 55, 251-276.
17. Sims, C.cA. (1982). Policy Analysis with Econometric Models. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 13, 107-164.
18. Abdullah, N., & Bakar, N. A. A. (2011). The Causal Relationship between Fertility and Women Labor Force Participation: Evidence for the Four Selected Asian Countries. European Journal of Social Sciences, 26, 154-158.

Received 17.12.2014