In light of the pronounced regression in total fertility rates in Spain over the last 40
years and the permanence well below replacement fertility levels up until the present day, this
thesis aims to add evidence to the on-going debate about the determinants of reproductive
behaviour in this specific country. Given the presence of a significant heterogeneity in the pace of
changes in and levels of fertility across the 19 autonomous regions, which can be related to
differences in the value systems around the role of women in society, it seems of utmost
importance to engage in an analysis that includes regional realities when trying to explain fertility
behaviour. Drawing on cross-sectional information from the national census of 2011, including
demographic, educational, socio-economic and geographic information of a nationally
representative sample of Spanish women, this paper engages in a micro-level analysis of the
relationship between personal traits and both the decision to enter motherhood as well as to
progress to higher order births with a special focus on the regional context