New directions for the study of Australia’s fertility decline

Most studies of Australia’s historical fertility decline have emphased the similarities of the pace and composition of the decline with those of the United Kingdom, continental European countries, and other colonies settled by the British. Recent scholarship has questioned the usefulness of focusing on aggregate data that give misleading impressions of homogeneity. Preferred methodological approaches take a holistic view to the determinants of fertility change within a local context. The scope for analogous studies in Australia is considered, through a review of potential source materials and research questions.