Trends in Fertility and in the Effects of Education on Fertility in Taiwan, 1961-74

Abstract

In this report Taiwans continuing fertility decline is brought up to date through 1974 and attention is given to the role of changing educational distributions in the fertility decline from 1966 to 1974. Between 1961-1974 Taiwans crude birthrate decreased from 37.7 to 23.4 a decline of 38%. The major cause of this decline was the decline in marital fertility. In comparing the 3 broad periods 1961-1965 1965-1970 and 1970-1974 the following trends become evident: 1) fertility decline was greatest in the most recent period as measured either by per annum decline in the standardized birthrate or by the total fertility rate; and 2) the fertility decline has shifted into younger ages. Education has been shown to have a strong relation to fertility marital status and other aspects of reproduction in Taiwan in the past. Although data is not available for the entire 1961 through 1974 period data are available on age-education specific fertility rates for 1966 1971 and 1974. It is learned that the educational distribution has changed within reproductive age groups for the period under review. For example among women aged 25-29 the proportion with less than primary education decreased from 48% to 21% while the percentage with senior high school education increased from 6% to 18% in the 1966-1974 period. The most important general statement that can be made about education-fertility data is that while structural changes in educational levels have had a significant effect in producing lower fertility in Taiwan the major effects come from changes in fertility within educational strata. It is particularly important that fertility has declined especially rapidly among the more poorly educated strata since these are a large if diminishing part of the Taiwan population. Data from other sources indicate that this pattern is consistent within all educational strata but especially among the poorly educated.