Public Assistance and Early Family Formation: Is There a Pronatalist Effect?

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Abstract
The relationship between public assistance and fertility is examined, focusing on the time of early family formation. The study is based on a representative sample of New York City women who recently had their first child. These women were interviewed twice since their first birth. We found that women in households receiving public assistance want fewer children than those in non-recipient households. Moreover, there is no significant difference between recipients and non-recipients on other indices of fertility-related attitudes and behavior. The data suggest that, in general, public assistance may be a consequence of an untimely birth rather than a stimulus for that birth.
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