MPIDR Working Paper

Seasonality of birth in nineteenth and twentieth century Austria: steps toward a unified theory of human reproductive seasonality

Doblhammer, G., Rodgers, J. L., Rau, R.
MPIDR Working Paper WP-1999-013
Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (November 1999)
Open Access

Abstract

We present an analysis of birth seasonality in nine geographical regions within Austria for two time periods, 1881-1912 and 1947-1959. In the early period, geography, climate, and agricultural patterns were related to birth seasonality. By the later time period, these factors were no longer related to birth seasonality. We propose a “resilience hypothesis,” which suggests two levels of causal influences on birth seasonality. First, underlying the three significant features of birth seasonality patterns around the world are only a small number of major causes. But, second, there are a multiplicity of minor causes that result in small perturbations in the patterns.(AUTHORS)
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.