International workshop on The Power of the Family. Family influences on Long-Term Fertility Decline in Western and Eastern Societies, 1850-2010

Call for papers

Over the last 160 years, a remarkable decline of fertility has taken place in many Western and Eastern societies. With rapid population aging, current below-replacement fertility looms as a key social issue of the twenty-first century. Intriguingly, substantial regional disparities in fertility levels and reproductive change have been prevalent and remain existent. Previous explanations emphasizing economic development and cultural change have not been able to clarify these differences. Building further on recent approaches that stress the social relations and interactions that connect individuals to one another, this workshop zooms in on the place where decisions on procreation are primarily taken: the institution of the family. Family relations are known to differ strongly across regions as a result of different family systems. In different family systems, family may affect fertility in highly distinctive ways. By combining previous economic and cultural explanations with theories on family influences and the cultural variation therein, the workshop aims to open up new vistas for understanding long-term population change.

Deadline Full Papers: 1 September 2015

More information: Workshop website