The inability of the western world to reproduce its population is expected to have dramatic consequences for the future; the conception of a "fertility crisis" has entered the public debate of many countries. By contrast, individual women and men may regard the possibility to choose to have fewer children as a means to freedom and self-empowerment. Understanding personal rationales in relation to reproductive choice thus is a pressing issue. Key questions addressed in the project are: How are children imagined and positioned within individual lifestyles and in society? How do young women and men reason about having children - as a privilege, a liability or a "fact of life"? How do social, economic and institutional conditions interact in facilitating versus constraining having children? The project will address these issues from a perspective of social stratification, and compare our findings to other European countries. To understand the new fertility trends we need a closer focus on men's values and priorities, and on gendered relationships and processes. Class differeces in fertility patterns also need more attention. Processes on various analytical levels are relevant for the choice to have or not to have children, when to have them, and the number of children. We will apply a multi-level analysis of individual reproductive choice. Our research objectives are theoretical and empirical. The project will be interdisciplinary, primarily combining theoretical and empirical approaches from demography, sociology and social anthropology. A common data set of qualitative and quantitative data will be established
