The Declining Birth Rate in Rotterdam, 1931 A Statistical Analysis of the Drop in the Number of Children in 24644 Rotterdam Families During the Last 50 Years

In the years after the war the problem of population and especially the birth-rate movements excited general interest in all countries. In the Netherlands also all kinds ot scientific men occupied themselves with this subject, not only economists, sociologists and theologians but also medical men studied the population problem in all its various aspects. It has appeared that it is only possible to obtain a complete analysis of the population problem by making a careful scientific investigation of every part of it. Evidently this was also the author's conception of the problem. By examining 25000 families he submitted the birth-rate movement of a large town to a scientific investigation. Neither political nor religious or other than scientific motives prompted him in undertaking this work, the examination was begun and ended quite objectively which lends this book its value. For only an objective examination of s~tch a complex phe­ nomenon like the birth-rate movement is of importance for science. The examination was inspired by the working program of the I nterna­ tional Union for the scientific Investigation of Population Problems. It produces surprising results and shows in figures how natality presented itself in a metropolis like Rotterdam during the last fifty years. It is to be hoped that this study may be followed by many similar in­ vestigations, also for the country.

General Survey.- I. Number of children and profession.- II. Number of children and religion.- III. Number of children, profession and religion.- IV. Number of children, profession and year of marriage.- V. Number of children, religion and year of marriage.- VI. Number of children, year of marriage and duration of marriage.- VII. Number of children and age at marriage.- VIII. Number of surviving children, year of marriage and duration of marriage.- IX. Small families and the system of substitution.- X. The children’s religion compared with the parents’ religion in mixed marriages.- XI. Interval between date of marriage and date of the first child’s birth, in connection with profession, religion and year of marriage.- If Chapter XII. Conclusion.- Tables (Absolute numbers).- I. Families according to professional group and number of children.- II. Families according to religion and number of children.- III. Families according to professional group, religion and number of children.- IV. Families according to professional group, period of year of marriage and number of children.- V. Families according to religion, period of year of marriage and number of children.- VI. Families according to duration of marriage, period of year of marriage and number of children.- VII. Families according to age at marriage and number of children.- VIII. Families (I) according to duration of marriage (contracted after January 1, 1918), period of year of marriage and number of children alive.- IX. Families (II) according to duration of marriage (contracted before January 1, 1915), period of year of marriage and number of children alive.- X. Families according to birth interval and a child’s death.- XI. Mixed marriages according to period of year of marriage, number of children and children’s religion.- XII. Families according to professional group, religion, period of year of marriage and interval between date of marriage and date of 1st. child’s birth.