ABSTRACT
Looked at in the long-run perspective of human evolution, the below-replacement fertility now characterizing most of the industrial countries is anomalous. Never before in recorded history-not in the Great Depression, not in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and not in ancient times-has fertility been so low for whole societies as it is now in the industrial world. Throughout 99 percent of hominid history, fertility was kept as low as it could be, given the current mortality. This chapter explores what is happening to marriage in industrial societies, because it is through the institution of marriage that most factors affect fertility. The four major trends considered-marital postponement, nonmarital reproduction, divorce, and wives' employment-go far toward explaining the below-replacement fertility of industrial nations. From an evolutionary point of view, humans have been extremely successful, however, success in an evolutionary sense is not viewed with equanimity by everyone.
