The Social Meaning of Children. Reproductive Choice, Gender and Social Class, 2012

The inability of the western world to reproduce its population is expected to have dramatic consequences for the future; the conception of a "fertility crisis" has entered the public debate of many countries. By contrast, individual women and men may regard the possibility to choose to have fewer children as a means to freedom and self-empowerment. Understanding personal rationales in relation to reproductive choice thus is a pressing issue. To understand the new fertility trends we need a closer focus on men's values and priorities, and on gendered relationships and processes. Class differeces in fertility patterns also need more attention. Processes on various analytical levels are relevant for the choice to have or not to have children, when to have them, and the number of children.

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