Barren States : The Population Implosion in Europe

Book Description
The fertility rate has dramatically declined across Europe in recent years. Globally over 64 countries have fallen below generation replacement levels and countries in eastern and southern Europe are registering the lowest birth rates in history. These developments could have serious repercussions for society and public policy--from a projected drastic loss of national population numbers to labor shortages and a swelling population of people over 65. This timely book investigates how people experience what is called "low fertility." How do people understand their choices and the perceived limitations on their lives? What is the meaning of motherhood for women today? And what does this tendency toward fewer births mean those who ultimately become demographic statistics?


About the Author
Carrie B. Douglass is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Spanish, Mary Baldwin College.



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Offering new readings and a much deeper understanding of Europe's decline in fertility, this book adds the voices of everyday people to previous state-centered studies. Overturning a number of assumptions, case studies show that having fewer children is often understood positively in Europe as a means to freedom and self-empowerment. Anyone wishing to understand what low fertility means to the people who live it will find this book essential reading.


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