Compulsory education and fertility: evidence from Poland's education reform in 1956

Given the recent low birth rates, aging population, and general importance of education, this study revisits the effect of educational attainment on fertility and examines the impact of the introduction of compulsory schooling in Poland in 1956 on later fertility outcomes. We find that individuals who went to school after the reform came into effect were more likely to obtain primary school but not higher education. These individuals became more likely to have a child and to have more children and had a child at an earlier age compared to unaffected individuals. Higher education, however, is associated with a lower likelihood of becoming a parent, and those who became parents did so at a later age. The findings are useful for policies aimed to encourage the population to obtain higher education and to influence fertility decisions.