Globalization, Family Structure, and Declining Fertility in the Developing World
Author(s)
Harbison, Sarah F.; Robinson, Warren C.
Abstract
Striking changes are occurring in family structure in the developing world, and fertility is falling due to a weakening of traditional family controls and a declining value given to procreation. A model of marriage focused on marriage as economic transaction helps explain these diverse trends. The findings reveal a serious threat to young women in such transitional societies. The declining value of their procreative power puts women at the mercy of impersonal, market-driven economic forces with which they are ill equipped to deal.
