Status Enhancement and Fertility

Status Enhancement and Fertility: Reproductive Responses to Social Mobility and Educational Opportunity provides a theoretical framework in which research findings on the socioeconomic determinants of fertility may be integrated.
Starting with an introductory chapter on the substantive scope of the book, separate chapters provide a detailed review, appraisal, and synthesis of the complex research literature on social mobility and fertility; examine various statistical methodologies and suggest some fruitful avenues future research might pursue; and discuss the role of education in enhancing the status of women and the main intervening variables that link education to reproductive behavior. Subsequent chapters examines female labor force participation, the value of children, infant and child mortality, age at marriage and first birth, and family planning knowledge and practice. The final chapter discusses policy issues derived from models and assessments presented in the preceding chapters.
This book may be used as an upper division or graduate level text in population courses.

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 The Evolution of Theory and Research on Social Mobility and Fertility

1 Early Studies (1890-1940s)

2 Intermediate Studies ( 1940s-1960s)

3 Summary of the Intermediate Studies

Chapter 3 Contemporary Studies of the Social Mobility-Fertility Hypothesis

1 Blau and Duncan's Approach to the Study of Social Mobility and Fertility

2 Other Studies Following Blau and Duncan's Approach

3 Recent Studies Not Following Blau and Duncan's Approach

4 Summary of the Contemporary Studies

Chapter 4 The Social Mobility-Fertility Hypothesis Reconsidered: Synthesis and Theoretical Elaboration

1 Four Possible Causal Links

2 The Direction of Causality Problem

3 The Concept and Dimensions of Social Mobility

4 The Intermediate Variables

5 Conditional Effects

6 Summary

Chapter 5 Methodological Issues in Mobility-Fertility Research

1 The Blau and Duncan Approach

2 An Extension of the Blau and Duncan Approach

3 Additional Methods for Examining the Mobility-Fertility Relationship

4 Summary

Chapter 6 Education, Status Enhancement, and Fertility

1 Education as an Engine of Status Enhancement

2 Education and Fertility: Basic Associations

3 Theoretical Explanations

4 Indirect Effects of Female Education on Fertility

5 Interaction Effects of Female Education on Fertility

6 Conceptualizing and Measuring Education

Chapter 7 Labor Force Participation

1 Findings in Developed Countries

2 Findings in Developing Countries

3 The Causal Nature of the Relationship

4 Theoretical Perspectives and Explanations

5 Theoretical and Methodological Issues

Chapter 8 The Value of Children

1 Noneconomic Benefits of Children

2 Economic Benefits of Children

3 Noneconomic Costs of Children

4 Economic Costs of Children

5 Education and the Value of Children

6 Theoretical and Methodological Issues

Chapter 9 Infant and Child Mortality

1 Mortality-Fertility Relationships and Transition Theory

2 Theoretical Explanations

3 The Relationship between Education and Infant Mortality: Basic Findings and Causal Processes

4 The Role of Infant and Child Mortality in Fertility Reduction

5 Theoretical and Methodological Issues

Chapter 10 Age at Marriage and First Birth

1 Empirical Findings

2 Theoretical Explanations

3 Exogenous and Intervening Factors

4 Theoretical and Methodological Issues

Chapter 11 Family Planning Knowledge and Practice

1 Knowledge and Practice of Family Planning in Developed Countries

2 Knowledge and Practice of Family Planning in Developing Countries

3 Factors Affecting Family Planning Knowledge and Motivation for Use

Chapter 12 General Conclusions and Policy Issues

1 Education and Status Attainment

2 Social Mobility and Fertility

3 Labor Force Participation as a Policy Variable

4 The Value of Children as a Policy Variable

5 Infant and Child Mortality as Policy Variables

6 Age at Marriage and First Birth as Policy Variables

7 Family Planning Knowledge and Practice as Policy Variables

8 The Context of Reproductive Choice

References

Author Index

Subject Index