Laboratory

Fertility and Well-Being

At a Glance Projects Publications Team

Research Area

Innovative Perspectives on the Fertility Transition

The demographic transition is one of the most consequential processes of social change in modern history. By now, virtually all populations around the globe have experienced at least the onset of fertility decline as part of this process. At the same time, substantial spatial, social, and institutional variation persists in the timing, pace, and intensity of fertility decline. Because the demographic transition manifests itself through clearly defined birth events that can be systematically monitored, it provides a unique opportunity to deepen our understanding of broader processes of social change, including urbanization, secularization, changing partnership forms, and shifting union dynamics as they unfold across space and time.

Projects in this research area adopt innovative conceptual and methodological perspectives to study fertility transitions and fertility variation. One focal point is the comparative study of fertility trends and sex differences in fertility across countries and regions, often using subnational approaches to address the limitations of cross-country comparisons. Another focal point is the study of institutional change and family diversification, including of how the legal recognition of same-sex unions and evolving partnership regimes reshape parenthood and union stability. In addition, union dissolution and repartnering are examined as potential contributors to fertility variation in contexts undergoing the demographic transition.

The projects benefit from recent methodological advances and improved access to individual-level register and survey data covering both historical and contemporary populations. This makes it possible to investigate fertility transition processes at both the micro and macro levels, and to examine the mechanisms underlying the regional imbalances, secularization, union dynamics, and institutional dimensions of fertility.

Projects of this Research Area