RT Journal Article
T1 Agency in Fertility Decisions in Western Europe During the Demographic Transition: A Comparative Perspective
A1 Sanz Gimeno, Alberto
A1 Reher Sullivan, David Sven
A1 van Poppel, Frans W. A.
A1 Sandström, Glenn
AB We use a set of linked reproductive histories taken from Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain for the period 1871–1960 to address key issues regarding how reproductive change was linked specifically to mortality and survivorship and more generally to individual agency. Using event-history analysis, this study investigates how the propensity to have additional children was influenced by the number of surviving offspring when reproductive decisions were made. The results suggest that couples were continuously regulating their fertility to achieve reproductive goals. Families experiencing child fatalities show significant increases in the hazard of additional births. In addition, the sex composition of the surviving sibset also appears to have influenced reproductive decisions in a significant but changing way. The findings offer strong proof of active decision-making during the demographic transition and provide an important contribution to the literature on the role of mortality for reproductive change.
PB Springer Nature
SN 0070-3370
YR 2017
FD 2017-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/18572
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/18572
LA eng
NO Reher, D.S., Sandström, G., Sanz-Gimeno, A. et al. Agency in Fertility Decisions in Western Europe During the Demographic Transition: A Comparative Perspective. Demography 54, 3–22 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-016-0536-0
NO Fundación BBVA
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 6 abr 2025