Abstract
The proximate determinants of fertility are the biological and behavioral factors through which socioeconomic and environmental variables operate to influence the rate of childbearing in a population. Three biological proximate variables are identified: permanent sterility, the probability of conception, and intrauterine mortality. Although these variables lower the actual rate of reproduction to far below its potential maximum, they contribute little to trends in fertility. Changes over time in fertility are largely due to changes in the behavioral proximate determinants. The most important of these is the prevalence of contraceptive use, but the duration of breastfeeding, the practice of induced abortion, patterns of union formation, and contraceptive effectiveness are or have been major determinants of levels and trends in fertility in most societies.
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