Fertility in Finland in the 1980s and 1990s

Analysis of Fertility Trend by Age and Parity

Authors

• Anders Vikat

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.44975

Keywords:

fertility, birth order, intensity regression, parity, parity progression, Finland

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the fertility trend in Finland from 1982 to 1999 by age and parity, using age- and parity-specific birth intensities and synthetic cohort measures of period fertility. The findings are discussed in the light of the concurrent changes in family policy and macroeconomic environment, and in the context of fertility developments in other Nordic countries. From 1982 to 1987, first-birth rates decreased while second and higher order birth rates changed little.

From 1987, there was a rise in womens fertility at all parities throughout the reproductive age span. In first births, this increase reverted to a decrease in 1991. Second and higher order birth rates continued to increase until 1994. Third and higher order births have somewhat decreased thereafter. First-birth rates of women over 35 have risen throughout the study period, and the mean age at first birth has increased.