title: Socio-economic status and fertility decline: Insights from historical transitions in Europe and North America.
abstract: The timings of historical fertility transitions in different regions are well understood by demographers, but much less is known regarding their specific features and causes. In the study reported in this paper, we used longitudinal micro-level data for five local populations in Europe and North America to analyse the relationship between socio-economic status and fertility during the fertility transition. Using comparable analytical models and class schemes for each population, we examined the changing socio-economic differences in marital fertility and related these to common theories on fertility behaviour. Our results do not provide support for the hypothesis of universally high fertility among the upper classes in pre-transitional society, but do support the idea that the upper classes acted as forerunners by reducing their fertility before other groups. Farmers and unskilled workers were the latest to start limiting their fertility. Apart from these similarities, patterns of class differences in fertility varied significantly between populations.
authors.affiliation: a Lund University.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dribe
authors.affiliation: b University of Sassari.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Breschi
authors.affiliation: c University of Montreal.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.affiliation: d Concordia University.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gauvreau
authors.affiliation: e University of Utah.
authors.forename: Heidi A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: e University of Utah.
authors.forename: Thomas N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.affiliation: b University of Sassari.
authors.forename: Stanislao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.affiliation: f University of Copenhagen.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Molitoris
authors.affiliation: b University of Sassari.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pozzi
authors.affiliation: e University of Utah.
authors.forename: Ken R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: g University of Quebec at Chicoutimi.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vézina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009656:North America; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adjustment; fertility; fertility transition; innovation; longitudinal data; socio-economic status