Fertility Transitions

Abstract

Abstract Demographic transitions in contemporary human societies have profound impacts on our social and economic lives. Across the population sciences, there are abundant empirical observations, but few causal explanations, of fertility transition. The seeming contradiction between observed fertility patterns and fitness-maximization assumptions pose a significant challenge for evolutionary theorists. This chapter explores evolutionary theories that can potentially help address this deep theoretical challenge. The authors argue that cultural evolutionary approaches can tackle aspects of fertility transitions that other approaches neglect. To bridge divides between evolutionary and non-evolutionary perspectives, the authors highlight intersections between cultural evolutionary theory and other social, economic, and political sciences.