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pubmed:otherAbstract |
PIP: Data from fertility surveys completed between 1975 and 1978 in 12 developed countries show consistently rapid declines in childbearing over the last 2 decades -- declines that have in the most recent period begun to stabilize. In Western Europe, couples appear to be having from 1.6 to 1.9 children -- a level below that needed for generational replacement. (Of the 7 Western European countries analyzed, only Spain has a fertility rate above replacement level.) In Eastern Europe, however, rates in all the countries analyzed are above the levels needed for generational replacement. Increasing age at marriage, increased use of the most effective reversible and permanent methods of contraception and a desire for fewer children have contributed to the rapid fertility declines. Relatively few women want fewer than 2 children, despite the fact that the average number of children born in many countries appears to be below that number.
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