Low fertility in Europe has given rise to the notion of a 'fertility crisis'. This book shifts the attention from fertility decline to why people do have children, asking what children mean to them. It investigates what role children play in how young adults plan their lives, and why and how young adults make the choices they do. The book aims to expand our comprehension of the complex structures and cultures that influence reproductive choice, and explores three key aspects of fertility choices: * the processes towards having (or not having) children, and how they are underpinned by...

Explores the role of women as social actors who contribute to both continuity and change in their society. It examines the inter-linkages between women, industrial work and relations both within the family and in the local community.