Researchers: education of your neighbours affects how many children you have

The results of Polish and British researchers have been published in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Polish part of the study was led by researchers from the Jagiellonian University Medical College.

Dr. Heidi Colleran, Prof. Grażyna Jasieńska, Dr. Ilona Nenko , Dr. Andrzej Galbarczyk and Prof. Ruth Mace collected information from nearly two thousand women living in 22 villages in the Limanowa district in Małopolska.

The team of anthropologists from London and Kraków demonstrated that the local community can influence the woman’s decisions on the number of children. "For years we have known that woman’s education is a key factor for the number of children born to her. Our research has shown, however, even more important than the individual level of education of a woman is the average level of education in the community, in which the woman lives" - explained Dr. Heidi Colleran from London, who has lived in Limanowa and collaborated with scientists from the Jagiellonian University for nearly a year.

Until now it was known that statistically speaking, poorly educated women have more children than those better educated, which is primarily due to the fact that the latter generally have children later are more often economically active.

However, studies in the Limanowa district show that women with lower education level, who live among better-educated women, give birth to fewer children than would be expected. "Less educated women take preference on the number of children from their better-educated neighbours, just like in the saying +when in Rome+" - explained Dr. Galbarczyk.

Prof. Jasieńska noted that the results of Polish-British research would suggest that "social factors, not economic factors, may be responsible for significantly accelerating observed demographic changes". "Such social mechanisms could also potentially be used in efforts to increase the number of births" - concluded Prof. Jasieńska.

The demographics phenomenon called demographic transition has been known of years. One of its aspects is that together with the ongoing economic development, women give birth to fewer children. It is not entirely clear, however, whether and to what extent these changes are linked to economic or social factors.

The researchers suggest that the decline in the number of births in the population is affected by many factors, including increase in women\'s education, later marriages and changing reproductive patterns, such as the older age of women giving birth to first child.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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