Postmodern fertility preferences: from changing value orientation to new behaviour

Abstract

In several of the social sciences, and certainly in demography, the term postmodernism has not become part of the scientific discourse. People shy away from it, understandably find it difficult to deal with, or have the vague, intuitive notion that it is better to steer clear of such an ill-defined concept. In this paper I aim to explore whether the term ‘postmodernism’, or one of its derivatives, could usefully have a place in demographic studies and population analysis. I shall, more particularly, do so with reference to the issue of fertility preferences in developed societies.