On Anne Lise Ellingsaeter, An-Magritt Jensen and Merete Lies's, The social meaning of children and fertility change in Europe

Abstract

The authors of this volume investigate the issue of fertility using a new approach; they do not focus on the causes of the downward trend in births in Europe but they rather pose questions about the decision-making processes that affect the childbearing habits of young adults. The primary questions (namely, why people do have children, and what do these children mean to them?) spur the different lines of inquiry in the book. These questions are based on the following statement: “...our empirical studies of the transition to parenthood in Europe are embedded with the notion of the ‘social meaning of children’” (p. 1). Consequently, the aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive understanding of reproductive choices and shed some light on their diverse and complex nature in Europe through investigating the meaning of children from different approaches and by diverse methods.