Table 2.

Variable definitions and descriptions.

Type of Variable		Variable Name	Variable Descriptions
Result variable		Total fertility rate	The average number of children born per woman over a lifetime given the current age-specific fertility rates and assuming no female mortality during the reproductive years.
Explanatory variables	Core explanatory variables	Public expenditure on family benefits	Public spending on family benefits includes financial support that is exclusively for families and children. Public expenditure on household welfare as a percentage of GDP is used to denote this indicator.
	Control variables	Unemployment rate	The unemployment rate of the population aged 15–64 in the selected OECD countries from 2001–2015.
		Mean age of women at childbirth	The mean age of mothers at birth, calculated as the simple mean average age in years of women at childbirth.
		Maternity leave	The length of paid maternity, parental, and home care leave available to mothers in weeks.
		Paternity leave	The length of paid paternity and parental leave reserved for fathers in weeks.
		Urbanization	The share of the urban population in the total population.
		Child-rearing ratio	The share of the population under 15 years of age in the working age population.
		Medical expenditure	Total medical expenditure as a share of GDP.
		GDP per capita	Gross domestic product per capita.
		Women’s education	The female gross enrolment rate in tertiary education.
		Household income	The income of a minimum wage worker for a couple without children whose partner is not working.