ABSTRACT
Historical demographers have discovered that cultural limits are broad and the range of fertility experiences great. The fertility of Petorca women has always been high, although on the whole never approaching an historical extreme. Fertility measures presented are adjusted for estimated rates of birth omissions specific for the respective cohort. The fertility levels of the Petorca Valley show a remarkable stability over the past one hundred thirty years. If the pace of childbearing has nudged downward at one generation or increased modestly for another, in the aggregate, neither the level nor the pattern of fertility has changed much. In contrast the Genevan Bourgeoisie fertility curve is concave, reflecting the effects of conscious family limitation notable from age thirty onward. The experiential differences are even greater than reported because fertility immediately after marriage is excluded in order to reduce aberrations caused by prenuptial conceptions.
