Below replacement level fertility currently characterizes most of the European countries. Researchers have tried to explain this particular situation; some of them have even characterized the situation as a ìdemographic shock,î following changes in political and economic systems, while others have interpreted the changes in fertility as a response to the pressure of a declining economy. Although there are significant changes in the attitudes regarding family and number of children all over Eastern Europe, and these attitudes play an important role in the fertility decline, the ìsecond demographic transitionî in Eastern Europe is not a very popular hypothesis, maybe because not all the characteristics of the second demographic transition (increase in number of children outside of marriage, high rates of cohabitation) are present in these countries.
The present research analyzes fertility changes in Eastern European before and after 1990, focusing more on one country (Romania), and paying attention to the interrelationships between fertility and other demographic phenomena. The dissertation includes three chapters: Eastern European fertility, The politics of fertility in Romania and Influences of out-migration on fertility. Each of these chapters includes a short introduction, several sub-chapters and conclusions.