Asian Fertility Transition is Gender Equity in Formal Occupations, An Explanatory Factor

Abstract

Early writers on fertility decline (Thompson 1929; Davis 1945 1955 1963; Notestein 1945; Freedman 1961 -62) emphasized broad forces of modernization, such as urbanization, industrialization, shifts to non-agricultural labor, and increased literacy, as bringing about changes in traditional structures. The neoclassical theoreticians shifted the focus to the micro-level and translated the changes in macro conditions into individual and household calculations. Both these strands of theoretical work have come under attack in recent years. Among the macro level changes, one force of change which has shown robust association with fertility decline is female literacy (Levine  et al 1993). However, a question raised in this context is: how is it that "the level attained in a few years of attendance at low-quality schools during her childhood could be retained by the average woman in her childbearing years and have an impact on her child health and reproduction sufficient lo affect birth and death rates?’’ (Levine at el. 1994: 186).