ABSTRACT
Thailand is in the process of completing what has been referred to as a ‘reproductive revolution’. This chapter establishes the models of fertility decline which incorporate measures of the decision making environment as well as the characteristics of individuals or couples. It describes the fertility transition and then tests multilevel models of fertility levels and fertility decline. The fertility behavior of women varies according to their stage of family formation. Newly married women may be under some pressure to bear a child and neither contextual nor individual levels variables are expected to be related to their childbearing. Both changes in the social context and individual characteristics could lead to a postponement of marriage. At higher parities, women in societies which are undergoing a fertility transition are more likely to be influenced by social context as it is at these ages that there is a degree of flexibility about fertility decisions.
