ABSTRACT
As every parent knows, the birth of a child is extraordinarily meaningful. It is seldom, if ever, a neutral event and under certain circumstances, it may not be necessarily a happy one. Besides this personal dimension, parenthood has also a social dimension: procreation has become a national issue in an increasing number of countries around the world. To appreciate the nuances of parenthood, both its personal and social dimensions are considered jointly in this chapter after presenting the main trends in parenthood in ten Asian countries. I begin by reviewing, albeit briefly, a few relevant concepts or ideas on social policy and on family.
