The Fijian fertility transition occurred between the early 1950s and the 1970s when the birth rate fell by 30%. The 2 major ethnic groups in Fiji are the native Fijians and the Indians. The birth rate declined earlier among the Indians, among whom it fell from 240/1000 in 1957 to 170/1000 in 1965, mainly on account of rising marriage age, birth spacing, and family planning. This study attempts to analyze the effects of socioeconomic variables -- religion, education, ethnicity, work before marriage, husband's occupation, and region of residence -- on the 3 dependent variables related to fertility transition -- age at 1st marriage, length of 1st birth interval, and the proportion of women having 4 or more children. A sample of 4928 ever-married women aged 15-49, taken from the 1974 Fiji Fertility Survey, formed the study population. A model was used which assesses the real characteristics of the fertility change through an analysis of intracluster correlation matrices. Rural dwellers are 1.25 times more likely to marry by age 20 than are urban dwellers. Indians are 1.23 times likelier than Fijians to marry early. Women who have education and work experience are only 1/2 as likely to be teenage brides as are those with no education and no work experience. This correlation is particularly true for Indians. Hindus and Muslims are slightly likelier than Catholics to delay the 1st birth interval. The likelihood of having more than 3 children by age 30 varies among Indians and Fijians, depending on rural or urban residence, education, and work experience. The importance of recognizing the effects of clustering is that it highlights the differential needs for family planning among different subgroups of the population under different socioeconomic, residential, and cultural circumstances.