Autonomy or conservative adjustment? The effect of public policies and educational attainment on third births in Austria, 1975-96

The standardized rate of third births declined by over 50 percent in Austri a between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s. The third birth was also postpo ned gradually over the years until 1991-92, after which the tempo of childb earing suddenly increased in response to a change in the parental-leave pol icy. This new policy inadvertently favoured women who had their second or s ubsequent child shortly after their previous one. We cannot find any indica tion that the general decline in third births can be seen as a consequence of women's increasing independence from their husbands at the stage in life we study. Furthermore, it still seems to be more difficult to combine moth erhood and labour-force participation in Austria than in Sweden, which is a leader in reducing this incompatibility. These developments reflect the te nsion between advancing gender equality and the dominance of traditional no rms in Austria.