Fertility and union formation during crisis and societal consolidation in the Western Balkans

Bibliographic Data

ID4266743
AuthorsMathias Lerch (0000-0003-4861-5058, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume72
Issue2
Pages217-234
Publication date2018-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePopulation Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-4728 • E-ISSN: 1477-4747
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00324728.2017.1412492
PMID29357746
OpenAlexW2792687933
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited50

Fertility decline in central and eastern Europe (CEE) since the fall of the communist regimes has been driven by both stopping and postponement of childbearing: two processes that have been related to crisis and economic development, respectively. In the Western Balkans these economic and political contexts followed each other in the form of a biphasic transition. I examine whether this sequence triggered fertility responses like those observed elsewhere. Relying on three independent data sources, I cross-validate the levels of, and describe the trends in, union formation and fertility (by birth order) between 1980 and 2010. Results do not reveal widespread declines in fertility to lowest-low levels during the most acute period of crisis. The subsequent postponement of marriage and first birth was also limited, and the two-child family remains the norm. This relative resilience of childbearing patterns compared with other CEE countries is discussed with reference to the institutional context

Birth rate · Context (archaeology) · Demographic economics · Development economics · Economics · Family planning · Fertility · Geography · Political science · Population · Postponement · Psychological resilience · Research methodology · Sociology · Sub-replacement fertility · Total fertility rate · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology

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