Exploratory study of the `synthesis framework" of fertility determination with World Fertility Survey data

This paper examines the extent to which World Fertility Survey (WFS) data can be used to explain differences among households in deliberate fertility control and to link such control both to socioeconomic variables and observed fertility. The theoretical basis of the three-stage analysis of fertility employed is described. Stage I links observed fertility to fertility control and other intervening variables. Stage II analyzes household differences in fertility control in terms of differences in the costs of, and motivating factors (desired and potential family size) for, fertility control. Stage III examines the relationships of various socioeconomic and cultural factors to the costs of fertility control and to its two motivating factors. WFS data from Colombia and Sri Lanka, used in the analysis, are then described and empirical results are presented for each stage of the analysis. The effect of education, as a key aspect of modernization, on fertility is examined to show the connections between the three stages. A concluding section notes the innovative approach of the analysis in measuring fertility control and in clarifying the links between modernization and fertility.