Abstract

PIP: Statistics of population dynamics in pre-fertility transition Europe, especially Western Europe, are diagrammed, tabulated, and graphed. A description of new sources of information, refined concepts on Europe's fertility transition, and ways of measuring the actual practice of family limitation are explained. New findings in the field indicate that the past was largely characterized by natural fertility. Factors such as the period of lactation and seasonal migration influenced total fertility differences. The transition from high to low fertility and mortality represented a shift from natural fertility to family limitation. Differences in the start and speed of the fertility decline are determined more by cultural than by socioeconomic conditions. This process began in Western Europe, under varying socioeconomic conditions, during the 1880-1910 period and was irreversible once it started. It is generally agreed that many areas of the developing world are currently undergoing a fertility transition. Both birth and death rates in these countries are higher than levels ever were in pre-transition Europe. However, the new findings relating to the transition in Europe lead experts to believe that this curent transition will follow the same courese. A certain level of socioeconomic development is not a precondition. Family planning programs, even in underdeveloped areas, can be effective.