ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the existence of the quantity–quality trade-off (QQT) in pre-1920 micro-data across a variety of contexts, testing the 'gendered' Becker hypothesis formulate. The importance of both education and fertility decline for economic growth and development makes the study of the quantity–quality trade-off especially relevant for developing countries. Education is an important driver of economic development. Moreover, it is an important source of well-being, and a key determinant of social mobility. Educating women, in particular, has been shown to significantly reduce fertility, as well as having positive effects on a range of other development outcomes. Since schooling usually happens at a young age, educational decisions are, to an important extent, determined in the households children grow up in. It is in the context of the household that resources and time need to be reserved for the education of children.
