Hostname: page-component-68945f75b7-l9cl4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-06T09:45:43.522Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Some social determinants of recent trends in British fertility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2011

Joan Busfield  and
Geoffrey Hawthorn
Joan Busfield
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Essex
Geoffrey Hawthorn
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Essex
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The contrast in birth rates in England and Wales between the periods on either side of the peak in 1964 is described and its components discussed. The drop after 1964 is mainly due to a drop in marital fertility at all ages, and especially the youngest. There is, however, as yet no evidence for a fall in the completed fertility of recent cohorts although their birth intervals are clearly lengthening. The mechanisms of such a change are described and their relative importance suggested. It is concluded that ultimate responsibility for the changing tempo of recent British fertility lies with fluctuations in the economic situation of the country.

Type
Fertility in different populations
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 3 , supplement S3: Biosocial Aspects of Human Fertility , 1971 , pp. 65 - 77
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Becker, G.S. (1960) An economic analysis of fertility. In: National Bureau of Economic Research. Demographic and Economic Change in Developed Countries. Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Broadhurst, P.L. (1959) The interaction of task difficulty and motivation: the Yerkes-Dodson law revived. Acta psychol. 16, 321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cartwright, A. (1970) Parents and Family Planning Services. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.Google Scholar
Census, 1966, Economic Activity Tables. HM Stationery Office, London, 1969.Google Scholar
Central Statistical Office (1970) National Income and Expenditure, 1970. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Department of Employment and Productivity (1970) Employment and Productivity Gazette, Table 4. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Easterlin, A. (1969) Towards a socio-economic theory of fertility. In: Fertility and Family Planning, A World View. Edited by Behrman, S.J., Corsa, L. & Freedman, R.. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Freedman, D. (1963) The relation of economic status to fertility. Am. econ. Rev. 53, 414.Google Scholar
General Register Office (1966) Census 1961, Fertility Tables, Table 14. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
General Register Office (1970) Statistical Review of England and Wales, 1968, Part II. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Glass, D.V. & Grebenik, E. (1954) The trend and pattern of fertility in Great Britain, Papers of the Royal Commission of Population, VI. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Grebenik, E. & Rowntree, G. (1963) Factors associated with the age at marriage in Britain. Proc. R. Soc. B, 159, 178.Google ScholarPubMed
Hawthorn, G. (1970) The Sociology of Fertility. Collier-Macmillan, London.Google Scholar
Ministry of Labour (1967) Occupational Changes, 1951–61. Manpower Studies No. 6. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1970) The Registrar General's Quarterly Return for England and Wales. Quarter ended 31st March 1970. HM Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Peel, J. (1970) The Hull family survey. I. The survey couples, J. biosoc. Sci. 2, 45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryder, N.B. (1970) The Time Series of Fertility in the United States. Proceedings of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population Conference, 1969. (In press)Google Scholar
Sagi, P.C., Potter, R.G. & Westoff, C.F. (1961–1962) Contraceptive effectiveness as a function of desired family size. Popul. Stud. 15, 291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simon, J.L. (1969) The effect of income on fertility. Popul. Stud. 23, 327.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silver, M. (1965) Births, marriages and business cycles in the United States. J. polit. Econ. 237. The Times, 19th August 1970. A national policy for people?CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whelpton, P.K., Campbell, A.A. & Patterson, J.E. (1966) Fertility and Family Planning in the United States. Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar