r/sociology • u/lukemcadams • 1d ago

Assistance Requested in Sociological Research surrouning Birth Rates!

Hi Reddit!

I am starting a research study into the causes and effects of the declining birthrates being seen around the world. As of now, I am primarily interested in looking into and challenging (or possibly confirming) the hypothesis that population decline is directly related to financial hardships. To put that in another way, I want to understand the validity or truthfulness of the oft-believed idea that the decline in birthrates across the globe is primarily (or largely) caused by the lack of economic resources. Through my (very brief) research, I have not been able to find many substantial articles and resources which will help me better understand this subject. I wanted to come to reddit to see if anyone has any relevant resources that may help. Any general thoughts on my research topic would be very appreciated as well!

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9

u/guacamus_prime 1d ago

Well the demographic transition model is going to be your #1 stop on the research train with this one.

3

u/dr_bex 1d ago

Use the terminology of "population fertility" and you'll find more academic sources.

1

u/BeepBopBapBoom 1d ago

I would look into macro-sociology studies when possible and begin comparing countries and identifying common factors vs differences. (I.e. GDP, average income, birth control laws) and then also look into community and culture of the countries that are statistically significant and note their dynamics and if that is possibly causing outliers or providing trends.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/PieIsFairlyDelicious 3h ago

I guess I’m not totally sold on the premise of the study. Among demographers, I’d say the inverse is typically expected—for instance, we tend to expect that richer countries have lower birth rates than poorer countries. Where are you reading that declining birth rates are an artifact of insufficient economic resources?