Fertility, Economics, Demographics

Why Is Fertility So Low in High-Income Countries?

We tentatively conclude that the decline in fertility across recent cohorts in high-income countries is likely the result of evolving norms, expanding choices, and the role of broad social and economic influences. This multi-faceted cohort-based explanation contrasts with narrower period-specific explanations focused on the role of prices, income, and the opportunity cost of women’s time. Those standard types of explanations…