Fertility in Advanced Societies: A Review of Research

Nicoletta Balbo (), Francesco Billari and Melinda Mills ()
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Nicoletta Balbo: University of Groningen
Melinda Mills: University of Groningen

European Journal of Population, 2013, vol. 29, issue 1, No 1, 38 pages

Abstract: Abstract This paper provides a review of fertility research in advanced societies, societies in which birth control is the default option. The central aim is to provide a comprehensive review that summarizes how contemporary research has explained ongoing and expected fertility changes across time and space (i.e., cross- and within-country heterogeneity). A secondary aim is to provide an analytical synthesis of the core determinants of fertility, grouping them within the analytical level in which they operate. Determinants are positioned at the individual and/or couple level (micro-level), social relationships and social networks (meso-level); and, by cultural and institutional settings (macro-level). The focus is both on the quantum and on the tempo of fertility, with a particular focus on the postponement of childbearing. The review incorporates both theoretical and empirical contributions, with attention placed on empirically tested research and whether results support or falsify existing theoretical expectations. Attention is also devoted to causality and endogeneity issues. The paper concludes with an outline of the current challenges and opportunities for future research.

Keywords: Fertility tempo; Postponement; Fertility quantum; Low fertility; Determinants of fertility; Calendrier de la fécondité; Report de la procréation; Intensité de la fécondité; Basse fécondité; Déterminants de la fécondité (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (115)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10680-012-9277-y

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