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Showing papers on "Fertility published in 1975"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This more comprehensive framework is compared with the usual approach in the analysis of several empirical problems-non-marital fertility, premodern fertility fluctuations and differentials, and the secular fertility decline-and is shown to be better suited for incorporating the concepts and hypotheses of noneconomists along with those of economists.
Abstract: An economic framework for fertility analysis is discussed. When the theory of consumer behavior is applied to childbearing fertility is viewed as the consumer demand for children over other goods. Standard economic theory limits the determinants of fertility to 1) the demand for children and 2) the cost of fertility regulation. The broader economic theory presented here includes child production potential as a determinant in human fertility. Production potential allows for the application of consumer behavior theory to a greater number of world conditions such as nonmarital fertility fluctuation in fertility in premodern times the decline in fertility in industrialized societies and the distinctions made between social vs. individual control of fertility.

585 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
02 May 1975-Science
TL;DR: The theory of demographic transition as it was originally applied to nineteenth century Europe is explained and the explanatory and predictive functions of the theory when applied to modern-day Asian African and Latin American countries is examined.
Abstract: The theory of demographic transition as it was originally applied to nineteenth century Europe is explained in some detail. When analyzed with nineteenth century European data the theory is empirically supported at the highest level of generality. The theory fails to explain differentials in overall fertility levels among various pretransition European countries. It also does not take into account differences in timing of onset and pace of fertility declines in these several countries. The explanatory and predictive functions of the theory when applied to modern-day Asian African and Latin American countries is examined. Factors such as present high levels of pretransition fertility and international migration militate against so-called natural fertility declines. Certain differences between the situation of European transition and that of modern developing countries such as the accelerated pace of socioeconomic development favor more rapid fertility declines. Today the question of population has become politicized and cannot be considered in wholly scientific terms.

172 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: To circumvent the problems inherent in the development of an effective chemosterilant and to insure that each treated male was sterile, surgically sterilized territorial males by vasectomy are presented here, along with discussions of their possible implications.
Abstract: One approach toward reducing populations of Red-winged Blackbirds (Age&us phoeniceus), and thus the agricultural damage that they cause, is through a program of interfering with their ability to reproduce (Davis 1961), such as with a chemosterilant. Such a program in Red-wings might be best directed toward the male, because the species is polygynous (Allen 1914) and territorial males normally maintain a harem of 1 to 4 females. However, incidents of promiscuity have been reported in females (Allen 1914, Beer and Tibbitts 1950)) and as a result of this or other factors, chemosterilization of only some fraction of the males in a local population might not result in a proportional reduction in fertile clutches. To explore the effects of a sterilized-male program, we conducted studies with breeding Redwings in small marshes near Lakewood, Jefferson Co., Colorado, in 1971 and 1972. To circumvent the problems inherent in the development of an effective chemosterilant and to insure that each treated male was sterile, we surgically sterilized territorial males by vasectomy. The relative numbers of infertile and fertile clutches produced on territories of these males are presented here, along with discussions of their possible implications.

106 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
28 Feb 1975-Science
TL;DR: Demographers have been incorrect in their assumption that all preindustrial peoples have possessed values similar to those of modern predominantly agricultural underdeveloped countries with high fertility and high mortality.
Abstract: The overproduction of offspring by early human populations would have tended to work to the selective disadvantage of the entire society but a permanently successful society does require some margin of unrealized fecundity with which to respond to any catastrophic decreases in size. If this is the case without involuntary hormonal control of breeding and without an effective damping of ovulation by lengthy lactation it must also be true that people of successful societies have always limited their natality below the level of their reasonably achievable fecundity. The strongest motive for keeping this margin of possible births unrealized among early hunters apparently lay in the need experienced within each nuclear family to space births in order to allow the mother to perform the tasks expected of her. This motive for child spacing was weakened with the advent of sedentary life. Among agriculturalists children have generally been regarded as an economic advantage and this has encouraged some increase in fertility rates although natality has simultaneously been inhibited by a rise in age and reduction of the proportion of the women who married. Demographers have been incorrect in their assumption that all preindustrial peoples have possessed values similar to those of modern predominantly agricultural underdeveloped countries with high fertility and high mortality. In most cases where growth of population has occurred it has been both recognized and tolerated. The modern growth of population will be slowed permanently only to the extent that each individual considers extra children to be worth less than they will cost in time in effort in money adn in emotion; or in the threat that is created by their very existence.

94 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that social security programs have a measureable negative effect on subsequent levels of fertility and appear to have as much of an independent impact on fertility as do the traditional correlates of fertility.
Abstract: A number of population scholars have asserted that social security programs such as old-age programs lead to decreased fertility levels because parents need not rely on children for "security" in old age. There is, however, a paucity of empirical data on the above. This paper analyzes 67 countries and shows that social security programs have a measurable negative effect on subsequent levels of fertility. In fact, the social security programs appear to have as much of an independent impact on fertility as do the traditional correlates of fertility (infant mortality, education and per capita income).

71 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two measures of preference are found to be highly intercorrelated; and regardless of which one is used, Taiwanese women are shown to predict their subsequent fertility at least as well as U.S. women.
Abstract: The predictive accuracy of respondents’ statements about their future fertility is examined, using interview data from a longitudinal study conducted in Taiwan. Two measures of preference are found to be highly intercorrelated; and regardless of which one is used, Taiwanese women are shown to predict their subsequent fertility at least as well as U.S. women. The preference measures are also predictive of rates of contraceptive use and abortion. While demographic and social characteristics are correlated with fertility in expected directions, statements about wanting more children prove to be highly predictive of subsequent fertility for both modern and less advanced segments of the population.

71 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors expand the theory of minority group status by distinguishing the types of effects it simultaneously exerts on black fertility and suggest a conceptual and empirical innovation by considering variations in structural milieu, as well as the characteristics of individuals (status indicators) in their effects on fertility.
Abstract: Summary Does the minority group status of blacks exert an influence on their fertility? This paper expands the theory of minority group status by distinguishing the types of effects it simultaneously exerts on black fertility In addition, this study suggests a conceptual and empirical innovation by considering variations in structural milieu, as well as the characteristics of individuals (status indicators) in their effects on fertility Data from the 1970 Census Public Use Sample are used in this analysis The analysis supports the conceptualization of different types of minority group status effects and underscores their relevance for understanding the current fertility differential between blacks and whites But when the black population has become assimilated, it is suggested that the two groups may be expected to exhibit similar fertility

68 citations




Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mechanisms adopted to ensure mating success, fertility and fecundity of S. littoralis were studied in this article, where the authors found that the male moths usually mate only once a night but they mate repeatedly during most of their life span, and practically all their spermatophores are equally efficient for inseminating a female.
Abstract: The mechanisms adopted to ensure mating success, fertility and fecundity ofS. littoralis were studied. The male moths usually mate only once a night but they mate repeatedly during most of their life span, and practically all their spermatophores are equally efficient for inseminating a female. Although females are also multiple maters, one spermatophore is sufficient for a female to lay fertile eggs throughout her life with no reduction in potential fecundity. While a male may mate 5.3 times, on the average, a female may mate only 2.3 times. As a pronounced decrease in pheromone release occurs after mating, a repeat mating by a female will occur only after most neighboring competitive virgin females have been inseminated. A male may mate therefore with 5.3 different females, all of which will be thoroughly inseminated.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A theory and method in a study of argentine fertility will give for every reader to read this book as discussed by the authors, this book becomes a choice of someone to read, many in the world also loves it so much.
Abstract: Read more and get great! That's what the book enPDFd theory and method in a study of argentine fertility will give for every reader to read this book. This is an on-line book provided in this website. Even this book becomes a choice of someone to read, many in the world also loves it so much. As what we talk, when you read more every page of this theory and method in a study of argentine fertility, what you will obtain is something great.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that persons living in crowded apartments with little option of moving elsewhere will tend to reduce fertility, potentially important in evaluating long-run consequences of housing policies on population growth.
Abstract: After reviewing the literature relating density to fertility, the authors consider how housing configurations might influence fortility. They suggest that persons living in crowded apartments with little option of moving elsewhere will tend to reduce fertility. Quasi-experimental data from a Colombian public housing project indicate that apartment living significantly reduced fertility among lower-middle- and upper-working-class persons living in a tight housing market. These findings are potentially important in evaluating long-run consequences of housing policies on population growth.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It has become conventional demographic wisdom that the level of mortality in a population has a substantial positive influence on its level of fertility as mentioned in this paper. But the evidence in support of this proposed relationship has been flawed and recent studies of reproductive-age couples suggest that the influence is probably much weaker than previously supposed.
Abstract: It has become conventional demographic wisdom that the level of mortality in a population has a substantial positive influence on its level of fertility. Evidence in support of this proposed relationship has been flawed and recent studies of reproductive-age couples suggest that the influence is probably much weaker than previously supposed. The childbearing of individual couples in developing countries is not highly responsive to child deaths that have occurred within their family. It is possible that there exist powerful extra-familial effects of mortality on fertility. But if so they operate with a substantial lag and have not yet been verified. Mortality reduction programs do not offer a promising path for lowering rates of population growth. (authors)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an attempt is made to assess the current state of knowledge in the area of microeconomic analysis of fertility behavior, focusing on theories relevant to the U.S. and other industrial countries.
Abstract: An attempt is made to assess the current state of knowledge in the area of microeconomic analysis of fertility behavior. With the focus on theories relevant to the U.S. and other industrial countries the advantages and disadvantages of the consumer theory approach to fertility are examined. A number of specific issues are raised: 1) the usefulness of the concept of "child quality" 2) the impact of income on family size 3) the time frame of the fertility decision 4) husband and wife interaction in the decision process and 5) the analysis of fertility regulating behavior. Additionally the paper concludes with a discussion of empirical issues raised by the new microeconomic studies of fertility. The ultimate goal of the microeconomic theories of fertility is to explain the variance in completed family size at the level of the individual couple. Traditionally this has been accomplished by analyzing the impact of differential social correlates; however recent data have shown that the explanatory power of these variables has been decreased considerably. By moving attention from social correlates of group behavior toward the factors that affect individual decisions directly the microeconomic theories offer the possibility of new ways to analyze old data along with suggesting the collection and analysis of new variables which might improve the ability to account for the variance in completed family size. Unfortunately the major insufficiency of the economic analysis of fertility to date has been the lack of correspondence between the theoretical formulations and the empirical tests undertaken. (AUTHORS MODIFIED)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a time series fertility equation considering the economic aspects of fertility supports a cyclical model of fertility relating fertility to standard of living: as a standard-of-living increases relative to desired standard living fertility increases, and the implication is that an upswing in the rate of growth of real wages could cause a new baby-boom in as relative wages increase and offset the drag on fertility of the increasing costs of children.
Abstract: A time series fertility equation considering the economic aspects of fertility supports a cyclical model of fertility relating fertility to standard of living: as standard of living increases relative to desired standard of living fertility increases. The influences of demand factors are explored using standard utility theory with the household as a utility function defined over goods (those of adults G and those of children GN) leisure (TL) and children (N). When the utility function is maximized Y = w(T-TL) = pG nPGGN with Y equalling income w equalling wage rate and p equalling the price of goods consumed by adults ptg or by children pN. The demand for children (Dt) is f(pN p wT X). Population density is substituted as an indirect proxy measure of the relative price of children and Dt = f(URBAN wT X) with X as a taste factor the influence of societal norms. wT (full income) corrected for unemployment equals Ew where E = 1-U where U equals unemployment rate. Ew With child mortality low the influence of supply factors is defined as the demand tdt minus unplanned children. Fertility is therefore Ft = Dt aSt - Dt)Pt where Ft is fertility at time t Dt is demand at time t St is supply or fecundity at time t and Pt is the failure rate of birth control. The equation was tested by substituting actual values for variables using fertility rate data from the period 1926-1975. Results support the cycl ical element of fertility and the hypothesis that an increase in the current standard of living relative to the desired standard of living increases fertility. The implication of these results is that an upswing in the rate of growth of real wages could cause a new baby-boom in as relative wages increase and offset the drag on fertility of the increasing costs of children.

DissertationDOI
01 Jan 1975
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relation between fertility, socioeconomic status, and the position of women in a village in the Yogyakarta region of central Java using data collected in a multi-stage survey and supplemented by participant observation.
Abstract: Over recent years, and particularly during the period spanning World Population Year and International Women's Year, there has been growing attention to the relation between the status of women and fertility. A central assumption, based on research findings in several countries, is that the provision of education and improved socioeconomic standing in general results in a better position of women and smaller family size. In Java, however, evidence from recent demographic surveys indicates that there is a positive association between fertility and various measures of socioeconomic status, including educational level. The present study investigates the relations among fertility, socioeconomic status, and the position of women in a village in the Yogyakarta region of central Java. Using data collected in a multi-stage survey and supplemented by participant observation, the research provides further evidence of a direct relation between socioeconomic status and fertility, and also indicates that higher socioeconomic status implies a different, but not necessarily better, position of women in many important dimensions of daily life. The study examines the causes of the observed fertility differentials, considering both voluntary and involuntary factors, and describes important social class differences in the sociocultural context of childbearing. It illustrates the need for any policy measures to take account of the complex nature of the relation between women's roles and their fertility in contrasting socioeconomic groups.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the utility of the Fishbeins behavioral intention model for predicting the intention to have a third child was investigated in a study with fiftynine married women with exactly two children.
Abstract: Fifty-nine married women with exactly two children were questioned about their intentions to have a third child. Intentions were strongly related to perceived consequences of a third child as well as to perceived normative beliefs and motivations to comply with these beliefs. Results indicated the utility of Fishbeins behavioral intention model for predicting the intention to have a third child. Findings were contrasted with previous disappointing results in studies of the psychological correlates of fertility and practical implications of the findings for fertility change programs were discussed. (authors)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that in historical as well as in modern populations, levels of fertility near replacement are unlikely to be obtained without the use of induced abortion.
Abstract: A computerized model that simulates reproductive events during the childbearing years of a cohort of women is used to analyze the impact of contraception and induced abortion on fertility. Four different reproductive regimens are investigated: (2) contraception only, (2) abortion only, (3) abortion as a backstop to contraception, and (4) combinations of abortion and contraception. It is concluded that in historical as well as in modern populations, levels of fertility near replacement are unlikely to be obtained without the use of induced abortion.



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Fertility and semen quality tend to decline with age of the bull, and more emphasis should be placed on pedigree selection of bulls for reproductive fitness initially, where the information is available, and in performance testing the bull at puberty (testis and semen evaluation) before putting it into service.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The effect of long, medium and short-term migration on fertility in the Swiss canton of Ticino can be isolated from census and vital registration sources as discussed by the authors, which can be used to isolate the effect of fertility within marriage by separating husbands and wives during their childbearing years.
Abstract: Summary Migration in the Swiss canton of Ticino is one example of the wide variety of demographic systems that existed in pre-industrial Europe The continuous movement of men was a consequence of economic, social and geographic conditions which restricted the demand for labour Seasonal migration and overseas migration were both sex and age selective They resulted in an imbalance of the sex ratio and a remarkably low female nuptiality They also reduced fertility within marriage by separating husbands and wives during their childbearing years The effect of long, medium and short-term migration on fertility can be isolated from census and vital registration sources


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence is provided against the hypothesis that heterozygous carriers of schizophrenic gene have a reproductive advantage through enhanced fertility and an advantage arising from lower mortality between birth and the end of the reproductive period is investigated.
Abstract: This investigation has provided evidence against the hypothesis that heterozygous carriers of a schizophrenic gene have a reproductive advantage through enhanced fertility. An advantage arising from lower mortality between birth and the end of the reproductive period was not investigated, but should be examined before we search for other explanations of the apparently stable polymorphism of schizophrenia.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The improvement of both sperm quality and the conception rate were highly significant in comparison with a non‐operated control group with the same severely impaired fertility and without clinical sign of varicocele.
Abstract: Improvement of sperm qualities and fertility after operation for varicocele is well-documented. The effect does not appear to relate to the degree of dilatation of the spermatic veins. For this reason 22 men with severely impaired fertility but without any clinical sign of varicocele were offered operation, i.e. ligation of the left spermatic vein(s). Fertility was evaluated by repeated sperm examinations. On average, the childlessness lasted for 3.5 years before the operation took place. A sperm examination was performed on average 6.3 months postoperatively. In half the cases improvement of sperm quality was found. In 9 cases no change was observed, and in one man the sperm quality was reduced. In 7 cases conception occurred within 16 months. The improvement of both sperm quality and the conception rate were highly significant in comparison with a non-operated control group with the same severely impaired fertility and without clinical sign of varicocele.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The hypothesis that the traditional definitions of womens roles as well as the treatment of women in the modernization process have been factors that have retarded progress toward reduced fertility national development and achievement of social justice is explored.
Abstract: Family planning programs in the Third World were developed on the assumption that subsidized provision of contraceptive education information and services would increase contraceptive use help reduce national fertility and encourage economic and social development. But family planning programs at best have had a marginal impact on societal fertility. This paper explores the hypothesis that the traditional definitions of womens roles as well as the treatment of women in the modernization process have been factors that have retarded progress toward reduced fertility national development and achievement of social justice. The paper is based on the premise that a fuller understanding of both the socioeconomic determinants of population trends and the consequences of these demographic trends for development requires recognition of the relationship between womens status and population trends as well as understanding of the current and potential roles of women in national development. (excerpt)