Authors:
- Uses cutting edge statistical techniques to explore questions motivated by evolutionary theory
- Data from a wide range of populations allowing generalizations to be drawn from this project about the human species as a whole
- Incorporates the evolutionary approach to use to provide a coherent theoretical framework for analysis
Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Anthropology (BRIEFSANTHRO)
Part of the book sub series: Human Behavior, Biology and Evolution (HBBE)
About this book
This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.
This book is a result of an interdisciplinary, comparative project testing the hypothesis that kin will influence fertility, incorporating demography, evolutionary biology and anthropology.
It will include a review of existing literature on the subject which will show that family does matter for fertility, sometimes, but that there is considerable variation (1) in which family members matter; (2) in which fertility outcomes are affected (inter-birth intervals, age at first birth, total fertility); and (3) cross-culturally.
The empirical studies use advanced statistical techniques to develop a greater understanding of not just whether but why family matters for fertility – are relationships between family and fertility plausibly causal, and driven by helping behavior between kin? These studies will show that positive associations between family and inter-birth intervals are sometimes plausibly driven by helping behavior between kin, particularly in lower income settings; but relationships between kin and fertility in higher income contexts are less clear-cut. Further, relationships between kin may sometimes be competitive.
In the penultimate chapter, we discuss how intergenerational conflict may influence fertility outcomes, including a comparative analysis of age at first birth across 20 lower income populations suggests.
This book will interest evolutionary anthropologists, demographers, biologists, sociologists and other social scientists with interests in family or fertility.Keywords
- why family does matter for fertility
- positive associations between family and inter-birth intervals
- how intergenerational conflict may influence fertility outcomes
- cross-cultural variances on how family does matter for fertility
- using demographic data from both high and low income settings
Authors and Affiliations
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Department of Population Health, London Sch of Hygiene & Tropical Me, London, United Kingdom
Rebecca Sear
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Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Cristina Moya
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London School of Hygiene and Tropical, London, United Kingdom
Susan B. Schaffnit
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London School of Hygiene & Tropical Med, London, United Kingdom
Paula Sheppard
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Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise, USA
Kristin Snopkowski
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Intergenerational Influences on Fertility
Authors: Rebecca Sear, Cristina Moya, Susan B. Schaffnit, Paula Sheppard, Kristin Snopkowski
Series Title: SpringerBriefs in Anthropology
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2025
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-41296-2Due: 24 April 2025
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-41297-9Due: 24 April 2025
Series ISSN: 2195-0806
Series E-ISSN: 2195-0814
Edition Number: 1