Pau Baizán is ICREA Research Professor at Pompeu Fabra University, where he teaches demography. Previously, he was research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (2000-2002), doctoral student and teaching assistant at the University of Louvain (1996-1999), where he obtained his PhD in Demography, and research associate at the University of Cambridge (1994-1995).
Research interests
My research's overarching objective is to explain how family processes (marriage, divorce, and fertility) are related to socio-economic inequality. To do so, I investigate the patterns and causes of family formation and dissolution in various social, economic, cultural, and political settings. For instance, in recent research, I have found a strong influence of individuals’ education, socioeconomic status, and income on partner choice, leading to high levels of similarity between spouses. Focusing on individuals’ jobs, I have found that a low level of autonomy over the job tasks and timetables reduces the probability of having a child. My research also focuses on how family events influence the level of inequality in society. For instance, I investigate whether the increase in socioeconomic similarity between spouses over time reinforces income inequality, and how educational differentials in fertility shape the educational composition of the population in the next generation.
Selected research activities
Conference presentations
“The impact of job autonomy and job intensity on fertility: The mediating role of health, job satisfaction, and partnership quality”, Population Association of America 2025 Annual Meeting, Washington, 11-13 April 2025, and International Union for the Scientific Study of Population General Conference, Brisbane, 17 July 2025.
“Homophily or competition? Explaining assortative mating patterns and their changes”. Population Association of America 2025 Annual Meeting, Washington, 11-13 April 2025.
Research Grants
Socio-economic inequalities in family behaviour and wellbeing: the role of economic security, role compatibility and gender relations (UNEQUAL). Spanish Ministry of Science.
Supervision of PhD students.
Teodora Maksimovic, “The Relationship between Socio-Economic Characteristics and Fertility Behaviour in Low Fertility Countries: A Couple perspective”, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Margherita Odasso, Fathering at a distance: the interplay between migration, family dynamics and health. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Kristina Dorofeeva, The changing relationship of employment and women’s fertility. University of Florence.
Courses:
“Demographic Changes and Social Dynamics” and "Migration and Society". Master in Sociology and Demography, UPF.