ABSTRACT
In Thailand, as in most Asian societies, entry into marriage represents the initiation of regularized sexual intercourse and the beginning of parenthood. The younger the entry into marriage, the longer the reproductive period and, ceteris paribus, the more children eventually bom. Later marriage means a shorter period of exposure to conception, a reduction of fertility, a longer interval between generation, and a slower pace of the rate of population growth. The chapter considers the role of the nuptiality transition in Thailand during the past three decades. It examines nuptiality patterns, and the conventional demographic analyses of the Thai fertility transition. The chapter focuses on sociological and ethnographic analyses of Thai marriage patterns in an effort to understand the forces which will determine future changes in Thai nuptiality. Due to widespread contraceptive use and the strong commitment of the Thai government, fertility decline began to gain momentum during the 1960s.
