Thinking About Children
Sociology and Fertility in Post-War England

Originally published in 1977, this book offered an account of a research programme designed to explain the changes in fertility in post-war England.

Joan Busfield (Author), Michael Paddon (Author)

9780521134477, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 March 2010

328 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.48 kg

The dynamics of population change in general and changes in family size and spacing in particular are long-standing issues of intense controversy and concern. So too, are the methods of explanation employed by social scientists in studying these and other social phenomena. Originally published in 1977, this book offered an account of a research programme designed to explain the changes in fertility in post-war England, and it offered a contribution to both debates. First, the authors provide an account of the factors that influenced family size and spacing in the post-war period, rejecting both classical population theory on the Malthusian model and more recent economic theories of fertility. Second, the authors discuss the weaknesses of the survey techniques and the associated methods of inference that formed the basis of their research design, as methods for producing explanations of social phenomena.

Preface
1. Introduction
Part I. The Theoretical Debate: 2. Malthusian theories of population
3. Utilitarian theories of fertility
4. The foundations for a theory
Part II. Research Design: 5. A natural history of the research
6. A chapter of errors
7. Survey research
Part III. Marriage and childbearing in post-war England
8. Marriage
9. Thinking about children
10. Images of family life
11. Uncertainty, negotiation and change
12. Controlling births
13. Trends in family size and spacing
Appendix A. The samples
Appendix B. Interview schedule for the pilot study
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Sociology & anthropology [JH]