Fertility decline

gradual fertility decline from 1.91 in 1990 to 1.73 in 2001. Overall, the fertility rate has halved from 3.55 to 1.73 in a period of just 40 years. Changes in fertility do not occur in isolation from other social, cultural and economic changes. Although it is often difficult to establish cause and effect patterns, the three modern phases of Aus-tralian fertility decline were accompanied by parallel developments. The first period of sharp decline began at the same time as the oral contra-ceptive pill became widely available. The second and third periods occurred at the same time as the labour force participation of married women and mothers increased, when both men and wome