Pronatalist experience in Europe.

Abstract

Pronatalist programs and their effects in Europe are reviewed from the 1930s to the present, with individual attention given to France, West Germany, and Romania. The author finds that "where there are low levels of fertility, pronatalist incentives result primarily in accelerating the birth of the second child to an earlier time, especially among younger couples. Average completed family size tends to change little, with usually only a slight increase in the proportion of women giving birth to a third child."