Since 1950 total fertility rates around the world have declined from a median of 5.4 to 2.3 children per woman. One unintended consequence of this decline is the appearance of below-replacement fertility, where a nation no longer reproduces itself and its population begins to decline. Europe, East Asia, and the English-speaking world are the centers of this phenomenon. Using information primarily from Japan, this paper will examine the origins and consequences of below-replacement fertility and explore policy responses to it, including issues related to aging, immigration, and gender equity at home and in the labor force.

Laurel L. Cornell holds an M.A. in Landscape Architecture (2003) from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Social Relations from Johns Hopkins University (1981). Her earlier research focused on the population history of early modern Japan, exemplified in articles such as “Infanticide in Early Modern Japan?” Journal of Asian Studies, 1996 and “House Architecture and Family Form” Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, 1997. She is currently working on two research projects. One centers on the history of road systems and their social and environment impact. The others ask how visual methods — such as drawing graphic novels — can be used to enhance teaching and learning in the undergraduate classroom.

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