The Social Meaning of Children and Fertility Change in Europe
About this ebook
The book aims to expand our comprehension of the complex structures and cultures that influence reproductive choice, and explores three key aspects of fertility choices:
- the processes towards having (or not having) children, and how they are underpinned by negotiations and ambivalences
- how family policies, labour markets and personal relations interact in young adults’ fertility choices
- social differentiation in fertility choice: how fertility rationales and reasoning may differ among women and men, and across social classes
Based on empirical studies from six nations – France, Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Italy (representing the high and low end of European variation in fertility rates) – the book shows how different economic, political and cultural contexts interact in young adults' fertility rationales. It will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, anthropology, demography and gender studies.
About the author
Anne Lise Ellingsæter is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oslo.
An-Magritt Jensen is Professor of Sociology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Merete Lie is Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture at Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
