ABSTRACT
We begin with a theoretical framework designed to link together the wide range of mechanisms connecting social change to family change and variation. This framework identifies three types of mechanisms affecting family change and variation: changes in the costs and benefits of family behavior, the diffusion of new ideas about family behavior, and childhood experiences that produce long-term personality change. Drawing on results from several studies using data from the CVFS, we summarize the evidence from Nepal that points toward ideational mechanisms of family change.
