ABSTRACT
Koponen argues that rising fertility in the twentieth century is a more important population growth factor than declining child mortality. In pre-colonial and early colonial times "postpartum non-susceptibility" was the rule: women breastfed their children for at least two years. Child spacing reduces births because of postpartum anovulation, a nursing woman is rarely fertile, and also because of strict rules of post-partum sexual abstinence during nursing. If these failed herbal and mechanical abortion methods were available. The end result was a "spacing of several years between births". In the last two decades, child spacing norms have been eroded by the "economic, social, political and cultural changes which began with colonialism" (Koponen 1986, pp.42-49; Dawson, 1987; O'Brien, 1987; Piche, 1987).
