Transitions to motherhood across generations. Causal factors in the birth of the first child in Spain

This paper's aim is to analyse the transition to motherhood in Spain of generations of women born in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Specifically, we study the effect of women's socio-demographic and family characteristics, as well as their main life transitions (partnerships, labour trajectory, and emancipation), on the probability of having their first child. The 2018 Fertility Survey from Spain's Office of Statistics has been used for the application of discrete-time survival models to the analysis of women's age when the first child is born, considering individual and family characteristics and incorporating life transitions. No significant differences are found across generations in the intensity of the transition to the first child. However, a delay in first childbearing is observed due mainly to changes in the women's characteristics, particularly the increase in educational attainment. The importance of life transitions persists over the generations. Having a stable partner, achieving emancipation, and economic independence continue to be crucial for the transition to motherhood. Labour market entry is always an important factor, but while employment alone once favoured motherhood in older generations, in more recent generations this effect is only noticeable if the job is linked to economic independence. The latter finding suggests that it is now important to consider different employment trajectories.