Human Reproductive Decisions: Biological and Social Perspectives : Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Symposium of the Galton Institute, London, 1993 (Studies in Biology, Economy, and Society,)

Reproductive biologists, evolutionary biologists, demographers and social scientists all have a common interest in the business of human reproduction. Their perspectives, however, are very different and have traditionally prevented them from having much to do with each other. The conference on which this book is based brought together contributors from each of these disciplines in an attempt to explore the common ground that they share and so generate a better understanding of the factors that influence human fertility. Understanding the processes that control and guide human reproductive behaviour remains one of the central issues in a world where population explosion has led to serious habitat degradation and overcrowding. Although researchers from a number of biological and social sciences have had a specific interest in the processes of reproduction, they have rarely taken more than a cursory interest in each other's findings. In this volume, reproductive biologists, evolutionary biologists, demographers and anthropologists share their views on the factors that influence human fertility. The contributors explore the ways in which the endocrinological system controls the processes of fertility, and is in turn regulated by energetic factors such as workload. The ways in which these proximate mechanisms themselves reflect and interact with the longterm functional goals of evolutionary processes (geared ultimately to the replication of genes) forms an important framework for the biological perspective. An important part of that biological framework is made up of the economic, social and cultural milieux within which individuals in contemporary and historical societies attempt to manage their fertility Front Matter....Pages i-xii An Interdisciplinary Approach to Human Fertility....Pages 1-8 Breastfeeding and the Baby: Natural Contraception....Pages 9-21 Understanding Natural Variation in Human Ovarian Function....Pages 22-51 Nutrition, Physical Workloads and Fertility Regulation....Pages 52-75 For Love or Money: the Evolution of Reproductive and Material Motivations....Pages 76-95 Fertility and Fitness Among Albuquerque Men: A Competitive Labour Market Theory....Pages 96-136 Reproductive Decisions Viewed from an Evolutionary Informed Historical Demography....Pages 137-159 English Fertility, 1600–1900: Is an Economic Analysis Tenable?....Pages 160-179 Stopping, Starting and Spacing: the Regulation of Fertility in Historical Populations....Pages 180-206 Obstacles to Fertility Decline in Developing Countries....Pages 207-229 Imperatives to Reproduce: Views from North-west England on Fertility in the Light of Infertility....Pages 230-248 The Timing of Childbearing in Developed Countries....Pages 249-278 Low Fertility in a Pastoral Population: Constraints or Choice?....Pages 279-296 Back Matter....Pages 297-307 Edited By R.i.m. Dunbar. In Association With The Galton Institute. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.