Women’s Education and Fertility in Italy at the Onset of the Demographic Transition

804/2026 Carlo Ciccarelli, Gianni Marciante

The role of women’s education in driving the historical fertility transition remains poorly understood. Existing studies have focused on France, an early outlier, or on Prussia before the onset of its demographic transition. Less is known about the context where this effect is expected to be strongest: the onset of the transition in late-transitioning countries. This paper fills this gap by studying the impact of women’s education on fertility in Italy (1881-1921). Using original district-level panel data, we exploit the interaction between proximity to the first female teacher-training colleges opened under the Casati Law of 1859 and time fixed effects as an instrumental variable. IV estimates confirm a negative effect of education on fertility, operating through health knowledge and the economic independence that female teachers embodied.

Global Economic History