Labor trayectories and reproductive be- havior: a comparison Mexico-Spain

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between the labor and reproductive behavior of different cohorts of women in three stages of the family life cycle in Mexico and Spain. The data bases used were the Encuesta NacionaJ sobre Fecundidad y Salud (1987) for Mexico and the Encuesta de Fecundidad (1985) for Spain. Eight different family and labor trajectories were constructed for women using the information related to their labor participation in three stages: before marriage, between marriage and the first child, and at the moment of the interview. The results revealed some common reproductive and labor behaviors between Mexican and Spanish women. Among the different cohorts, those of the Mexican and Spanish women who were aged 25-29 years at the moment of the interview showed the greatest compatibility between their labor participation and family development.