Volume 19 - Article 20 | Pages 705-742

Lithuania: Fertility decline and its determinants


Date received:	14 Sep 2006
Date published:	01 Jul 2008
Word count:	10146
Keywords:	childbearing, Europe, fertility, fertility decline, Lithuania
DOI:	10.4054/DemRes.2008.19.20
Weblink:	You will find all publications in this Special Collection “Childbearing Trends and Policies in Europe” at http://www.demographic-research.org/special/7/

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1990s, Lithuania has been undergoing significant transformations in family life and has experienced a precipitous decline in fertility. The determinants of the changes are diverse in character and are associated with socioeconomic transformations, economic difficulties faced by the post-Soviet society, inadequate social and family policies and changing value orientations and life styles. This article traces the fertility trends in Lithuania from the period and cohort perspective, providing adjusted TFR estimates that reveal the significance of the tempo effect on the recent decline in fertility. Furthermore, the main factors leading to the recently observed changes in family and fertility are identified and analysed. Finally, the characteristic features and necessary improvements of current Lithuanian family policy and its possible effects on individual behaviour and fertility trends are discussed.

Author's Affiliation

Vlada Stankuniene - Demographic Research Center, Lithuania [Email]
Aiva Jasilioniene - Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Germany [Email]