The focus of this volume, based on the 2002 conference Fertility: The Current South African Issues of Poverty, HIV/AIDS, and buth emanating from the partnership between the Department of Social Development, the South African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN) and the HSRC, is to examine the underlying inextricable link between fertility and the socio-economic development. This collaborative volume analyses the complex features in the current fertility trends in post-apartheid South Africa. Topics examined include the demographic fertility profile of the country?s population, determinants of fertility-related behaviours in the context of HIV/AIDS settings such as sexual initiation, contraceptive use, and the broader regional fertility issues. While providing an insight into the country?s evolving fertility profile, the contributors argue that further debate and detailed exploration of fertility-related topics is needed to fully comprehend the dynamic factors underlying country?s fertility trends