Why Contemporary American Jews Want Small Families


 

Publication Date: January 1981

Publisher: Brill Books

Author(s): Steven M. Cohen

Research Area: Culture and religion; Population and demographics

Keywords: American Jews; Fertility; Demography

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The chapter attempts to account for differences in desire fertility in desire family size by religion. It examines the routes to group, mean, desire family size. We find that Jews and Protestants resemble one another when comparing mean fertility levels. Jews and Catholics display a direct relationship between religiosity and fertility behavior whereas the Protestants fail to manifest such a relationship. Thus, low Jewish fertility arises from their high level of secularism.