Adolescent neighbourhood context and transition to parenthood: A longitudinal study

Abstract

AbstractThis paper investigates effects of neighbourhood context on first birth timing in Sweden. Analyses are on the basis of Swedish population registers and innovative methods for the construction of individualised neighbourhoods of varying sizes and a traditional measure using defined areas. The 1980 Swedish birth cohort is followed from age 13 to 36, with neighbourhood characteristics observed at age 15 to define the contexts in which the young adults were socialised and first exposed to socioeconomic opportunities for higher education and early adult careers. Young adults who lived in elite (education and income) neighbourhoods or neighbourhoods with a high proportion of foreign born were slower to have their first child in comparison with those who lived in a less socioeconomically advantaged neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods with high levels of social assistance, as well as those with a high proportion of single‐family housing had earlier births. Although the preponderance of the first evidence is consistent with a pathway from neighbourhoods to individual attainments and delayed childbearing, the availability of affordable family‐friendly housing appears to provide opportunities for earlier transitions to parenthood.