The new fertility transition in Europe. Have the gaps been bridged

The paper examines the role of extramarital fertility in the emerging fertility transition in Europe. Drawing extensively on indicators of marital and reproductive behavior computed from data obtained from Eurostat archives and different National Institutes of Statistics the relative significance of marital fertility the proportion married and extramarital fertility to total fertility is examined over time. The analysis supports the argument that the role of extramarital fertility in the emerging fertility transition in Europe is increasing. On homogenization of trends and patterns in nuptial fertility divorced and remarriage the paper calls for more time and further research to understand the current trends. (authors)