The Children That Are No Longer Born in Quebec

This is a review of a book published in 1981 by Henripin Huot Lapierre-Adamcyk and Marcil-Gratton which provided data on the fertility decline in Quebec garnered from 1976 reinterviews with about 1/2 of a sample originally interviewed in 1971 by Henripin and Lapierre-Adamcyk for an earlier study. The 10 chapters discuss the decline in the total fertility rate; recent fluctuations in fertility; the timing of births; unwanted births; factors influencing unwanted births; contraceptive behavior since 1971; the relationship between contraceptive behavior and satisfaction with the number of children already born; the increasing resort to sterilization; reasons why women do not want another child; and measures the government could take to promote fertility. A synthesizing chapter at the end of the book which would have brought together all the elements of the fertility decline in Quebec might have indicated that the decline is not likely to be short-term. The observation of higher fertility among women working outside the home and the more rapid achievement of fertility goals by couples who subsequently seek sterilization are discussed in relationship to conservative political views that the 2 groups are largely responsible for the fertility decline; such views are found to be of questionable validity.