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Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 2020Fertility across time and space
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Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
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DATUM, UNTERSCHRIFT / DATE, SIGNATURE
BANK AUSTRIA CREDITANSTALT, WIEN (IBAN AT04 1100 0006 2280 0100, BIC BKAUATWW), DEUTSCHE BANK MÜNCHEN (IBAN DE16 7007 0024 0238 8270 00, BIC DEUTDEDBMUC)
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Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 2020, pp. 63-70, 2020/08/04
Fertility across time and space
The long-term fertility trends in different parts of the world will matter greatly for sustainable development and future human well-being on this planet. The future paths of fertility and the resulting population growth have also been identified as important factors in efforts to deal with climate change and other environmental risks. Future population growth will essentially depend on two factors: the speed of fertility decline in Africa and the long-term fertility level at the end of demographic transition. In this contribution I argue that for both factors, changes in the reproductive preferences are the key drivers. Moreover, these changes primarily happen in our minds, and are only secondarily influenced by changing economic realities and environmental factors. But before we can realize these preferences, we need to be empowered to do so. Reproductive empowerment, driven especially by rising levels of women’s education, is a key factor allowing women and men to act on their fertility preferences, and shaping fertility trends.
Keywords: Fertility; Fertility decline; Demographic transition; Population growth; Reproductive preferences; Reproductive empowerment