ABSTRACT
Demographic studies have generally seen the world as divided into two broad parts. The less developed societies, because of their proclivity for high fertility, are seen to be under the spell of religious superstition and tradition, while the developed world is seen as capable of rational choice. Anthropological (Handwerker 1990; Patel 1994; Greenhalgh 1995) and historical (Harris and Ross 1987; Hufton 1995) studies situate population and fertility amidst cultural and political-economic considerations. It is evident that though barrenness was regarded as a curse, an over-abundance of living children was seen as something less than a blessing.
