Fertility decline, the postponement of childbearing and the increase in childlessness in Central and Eastern Europe: A gender equity approach

Chapter in monograph

Hašková, Hana. 2007. „Fertility decline, the postponement of childbearing and the increase in childlessness in Central and Eastern Europe: A gender equity approach.“ Pp. 76-85 in R. Crompton, S. Lewis, C. Lyonette (eds). Women, Men, Work and Family in Europe. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-8719-8.

There has been a marked trend towards the postponement of childbearing and increased childlessness in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since the 1990s. In this chapter, current scientific debates and theories of fertility decline in CEE are briefly reviewed, with a particular focus on the case of the Czech Republic. The potential contribution of a gender equity focusedapproach for explaining current demographic trends in CEE is then discussed, drawing on evidence from the 1994 and 2002 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) surveys.