The Modern Demographic Transition: An Analysis of Subsistence Choices and Reproductive Consequences
Abstract
This paper argues that fertility transition comes about when personal material well‐being is determined less by personal relationships than by formal education and skill training. This transformation occurs when changes in opportunity structure and the labor market increasingly reward educationally acquired skills and perspectives, for these changes have the effect of sharply limiting or eliminating the expected intergenerational income flows from or through children. This modification and extension of Caldwell's wealth flows model permits us to account for historical‐, regional‐, and social‐class‐specific differences in the onset and pace of fertility transition, and points to new, macro‐level socioeconomic indicators whose ability to account for historical variation infertility is validated by a preliminary test.
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Parents are likely to want few children in a modern economy, in which children cannot contribute much to family income even though they cost a lot of time and money to raise and educate.
“Parents are likely to want few children in a modern economy, in which children cannot contribute much to family income even though they cost a lot of time and money to raise and educate (Aries 1996:413;Handwerker 1986:3;Knodel et al. 1984;Oshima 1983).”
From China's One-Child Policy and the Empowerment of Urban Daughters (2002) · cites this paper as Handwerker 1986:3
Cites
Toward A Restatement of Demographic Transition Theory
Caldwell, J. C. (1976) · Population and Development Review · doi:10.2307/1971615 · Cited by 1,005 · see citing works
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Ginsburg, F., & Rapp, R. (1991) · Annual Review of Anthropology · doi:10.1146/annurev.an.20.100191.001523 · Cited by 614 · see citing works
China's One-Child Policy and the Empowerment of Urban Daughters
Fong, V. L. (2002) · American Anthropologist · doi:10.1525/aa.2002.104.4.1098 · Cited by 424 · see citing works
- Authors
- Handwerker, W. P.
- Affiliations
- Cal Poly Humboldt (US)
- Corresponding author
- Handwerker, W. Penn
- Venue
- American Anthropologist
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1986-06
- Volume
- 88
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 400-417
- ISSN
- 0002-7294 (ISSN-L)
- 1548-1433
- OpenAlex
- W2123066109
- Cited by
- 124
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 17.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Anthropologist (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
- Keywords
- demographic transition, fertility transition, reproductive effects, education and fertility, skills training, opportunity structures, labor market, social class, socioeconomic indicators, infertility
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