Introduction

This book is based on the presentations and discussions from a national symposium on "Creating the Next Generation: Social, Economic, and Psychological Processes Underlying Fertility in Developed Countries," held at the Pennsylvania State University in 2003. The papers address some of the antecedents and consequences of the recent steep declines in fertility in developed countries from different theoretical and disciplinary angles. While fertility rates are still high in some less-developed parts of the world, the new population problem with many countries in Europe, Asia, and North America is declining fertility. With fertility decline comes a reshaping of the population pyramid. The topic of fertility decline is interesting not only at the level of the individuals and couples, but also at the level of the societies that must come to grips with their long-term implications.

Contents

Divided into four Parts, the text:

• looks at contemporary trends in U.S. fertility, thus setting the stage for the entire volume;
• discusses social and cultural values and attitudes;
• analyzes fertility decisions in different countries; and
• focuses on the possible long-term consequences of current fertility trends for individuals, families, and societies.