Declines in first and second birth rates and their effect on levels of fertility

Rebecca Kippen is Research Fellow in the Demography and Sociology Program at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University This article analyses the fertility decline in Australia, focussing on the period from 1991 to 2000 when fertility data by women’s age and parity status are available. It finds that much of the decline is due to increased childlessness and to the postponement of first births. Second birth rates for woman who are at parity one status have remained quite high. Higher parity births remain low but, expressed as a rate of those eligible to achieve them, have not declined significantly