Fertility Transition in Thailand: A Qualitative Analysis

This paper analyzes qualitative information gathered through focus group sessions with men and women who built their families before the Thai fertility decline and with a younger generation whose members are limiting family size to two or three children. Four components in the fertility transition are identified: fundamental social and economic change, causing couples to view large numbers of children as a burden; a cultural setting conducive to acceptance of fertility control; a latent demand for fertility control; and the availability of effective means of fertility regulation through the national family planning program.