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Evidence of social influence driving Israeli fertility trends

Rachel Gould, Tel Aviv University

Israel presents a confounding case of continued strong fertility rates coupled with economic growth (pre-pandemic) as an outlier case in the OECD cohort of nations. The economic trajectory places Israel as a peer to countries such a the United States. The fertility trends of 3.1 births per woman in the Jewish sectors place Israel on par with many developing countries, in particular throughout Africa. Concerns that this continued high TFR may compromise future economic standing lead us to question the feasibility of continued population growth. As such, Israel must consider policies to address this population challenge. In addition to the strong overall economy, Jewish Israeli women are highly educated with motherhood not proving to be an obstacle for women at any level of higher education. Israel offers modest maternity and paternity leave benefits and child tax credits and payments, suggesting that the influence of economic incentives is weak. This research identifies the presence of social influence as the main driving force behind Israel's remarkably high TFR, critical knowledge should the government seek to implement policies to manage the population growth in the near-term.

Keywords: Population size and growth/decline, Policy, Demographic and social surveys

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session P18.