In this new study, scholars show that the ideal number of children has decreased among recent generations in Finland, with more people wanting to remain childless.

The study of the personal ideal family size of immigrants has a promising and so far underdeveloped potential to disclose the relationship between migration and fertility. Despite its importance, research rarely approached the role of the personal ideal family size for international migrants in the current debate on fertility and migration in the European context. The study of migrants’ ideal family size has the potential to shed light on fertility norms without the interference of economic conditions and migration-related disruptive phenomena.

Couples who are considering medically assisted reproduction (MAR) because they have difficulties conceiving naturally, have always feared that this decision could harm their baby. A new study published in The Lancet shows that couples can opt for this intervention without worrying about increasing their baby's health risks.

Can social media channels like Facebook be used to analyse fertility data? According to recent research, it can be. In a paper by Francesco Rampazzo, Emilio Zagheni, Ingmar Weber, Maria Rita Testa and Francesco Billari, they sought out to determine if anonymous and aggregate data from Facebook advertising can be a viable source for fertility data. This is particularly relevant when looking at developing countries, where official data is less available.

Fertility rates in many postindustrial societies are now below 1.5 children per woman. At the same time, the majority of young adults throughout the postindustrial world say that a family with two children is ideal. Many young adults say they would like to have two children, but expect to have fewer. What explains this gap between fertility ideals and intentions?

What kind of impact does economic growth have on fertility behaviours? Previous research has observed downturns in fertility during periods of economic depression and when looking specifically at the Great Depression in the United States in the late 1920s and 1930s, research found that it had strong negative effects on fertility levels. But what about the more recent recession?