ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the results of an m-depth study of fertility and parental investment using a representative sample of men from Albuquerque, New Mexico. It aims to develop and test a general theory of human fertility and parental investment, with a specific focus on explaining recent historical trends in family behavior within developed nations. The chapter presents a theoretical framework that unifies life-history theory, developed in biology, with human capital and household allocation theories, developed in economics. It offers a specific theory of modern fertility reduction based on the emergence of skills-based competitive labor markets. This theory generates a set of empirical predictions that are tested with data derived from the sample of Albuquerque men. The chapter focuses on age at first reproduction, completed fertility, the formation and dissolution of marital and quasi-marital relationships, investment in children, and child outcomes. It examines both historical trends and variation among men within cohorts and time periods.
