Male and Female Fertility in Taiwan

Abstract

Since the 1960s, Taiwan has moved from the regime of high fertility to one of low fertility. There is an abundant literature dealing with fertility decline in Taiwan. However, these studies and other studies like them focus almost exclusively on female fertility. Male fertility patterns and determinants have largely been ignored. This chapter brings men into the analysis when studying the fertility transition in Taiwan. It compares male and female fertility patterns and determinants in Taiwan and in 23 sub-regions of Taiwan. The results show that male fertility differs from female fertility in both rates and determinants. The findings remind researchers to take men into consideration in fertility studies and suggest that fertility theories explaining male fertility changes may need to be constructed.