Evidence on fertility levels in Asia can easily be found, yet a collection of articles on fertility preferences in Asia is unprecedented. The book “Family demography in Asia. A comparative analysis of fertility preferences” edited by Stuart Gietel-Basten, John Casterline and Minja Kim Choe aims toward filling this gap. Complemented by a chapter on son preference, an influential factor on fertility behavior in patriarchal societies, country experts on fertility preferences present quantitative empirical findings on fertility preferences in about two-dozen Asian countries. Qualitative evidence complements these analyses in some chapters (e.g., the chapter “The socioeconomic context of fertility decline and preferences in Brunei”), enabling a deeper understanding of the processes leading to fertility ideals in specific countries. While the introduction discusses theoretical explanations of fertility preferences, an empirical test of these explanations is missing in the chapters, often being due to the lack of suitable data.
In most chapters, the authors relate their analyses to actual and historical fertility levels and draw conclusions on the existence of either excess or unrealized fertility in the respective countries. Based on these, some authors, e.g., in the chapter on “Fertility trends, patterns and preferences in Sri Lanka”, argue in favor of lower fertility rates and urge national policy makers to intervene. While I see the benefits of low fertility levels for developing countries, an ideal of low fertility is supported here, where I would have wished for more objectivity. Some authors provide information on the country’s historical development and periodical societal circumstances of trends in fertility preferences. One example is the chapter of “Fertility preferences in Cambodia” by Gouranga Lal Daswarma, Hang Lina, Sok Kosal and Nott Rama Rao. These details provide valuable information on the interaction between societal and demographic developments, e.g., as in the chapters on fertility preferences in Central Asia or Cambodia. Of particular value are analyses of subgroup differences in fertility preferences within the respective countries, e.g., by socioeconomic status, religious background, place of living or marriage status, calling the readers attention to the foundation of the average ideal number of children and providing valuable information on the character of the respective societies.
Given the variety of countries presented in this volume, extracting generalizations on trends in fertility preferences in Asia is of course difficult. This is all the more the case, as available data, methods applied by the authors and modes of measurement of fertility preferences differ across chapters. A comparison of evidence on fertility preferences across countries is therefore challenging, which is a drawback of the volume. It may thus be less suited as an introductory text, yet well-versed family scholars who are interested in evidence on fertility preferences in specific Asian countries find unprecedented evidence. Most chapters are furthermore entitled identically (“Fertility preferences in…”). Here, I would have preferred meaningful titles, e.g., hinting toward an interesting finding, intriguing the interested reader to continue reading.
Besides country analyses, the only topical chapter in the volume on “Son preference and Fertility: An Overview” is of high interest to every reader interested in demographic issues, as it provides valuable insights on the relationship between fertility levels or gendered child sex ratios and son preference in patriarchal societies. As most societies in Asia are patriarchal, the chapter thus provides valuable background information for the understanding of fertility desires.
In summary, the volume provides interesting and unprecedented insights into fertility preferences in Asia. As a scholar who has been working on demographic developments in Asia, I liked the variety of countries presented, broadening my view on similarities or differences in fertility behavior in Asia. Readers interested in evidence on specific countries might profit most of this volume, given that the variety of countries is too large to provide an overarching narrative. The collection of such a broad variety of evidence on national fertility preferences is unique, making the book a work of reference for future regional studies on fertility behavior in Asia.
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