Educational expansions and fertility: Evidence from Norwegian college reforms

Previous research has pointed to educational expansions and increased educational attainment among women as an important factor contributing to reductions in fertility levels and changes in family formation patterns in the second half of the 20th century. We investigate one potential mechanism that may have contributed to these developments – the establishment of local colleges providing access to higher education for broader segments of the population. We study the establishment of regional colleges in Norway 1973-83. Taking advantage of population-wide administrative register data, historical data sources, and recent developments in difference-in-differences methodology, we employ an event study design to assess the impact of local colleges on cohort fertility as well as age-specific fertility outcomes and the propensity to marry at lower ages. Our findings suggest that access to local colleges did not impact fertility or family formation to any substantial degree.