Volume 19 - Article 20 | Pages 705–742  

Lithuania: Fertility decline and its determinants

By Vladislava Stankuniene, Aiva Jasilioniene

This article is part of the Special Collection 7 "Childbearing Trends and Policies in Europe"

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1990s, Lithuania has been undergoing significant transformations in family life and has experienced a precipitous decline in fertility. The determinants of the changes are diverse in character and are associated with socioeconomic transformations, economic difficulties faced by the post-Soviet society, inadequate social and family policies and changing value orientations and life styles. This article traces the fertility trends in Lithuania from the period and cohort perspective, providing adjusted TFR estimates that reveal the significance of the tempo effect on the recent decline in fertility. Furthermore, the main factors leading to the recently observed changes in family and fertility are identified and analysed. Finally, the characteristic features and necessary improvements of current Lithuanian family policy and its possible effects on individual behaviour and fertility trends are discussed.

Author's Affiliation

• Vladislava Stankuniene - Lithuanian Social Research Centre, Lithuania EMAIL
• Aiva Jasilioniene - Max-Planck-Institut für Demografische Forschung, Germany EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Socio-economic determinants of divorce in Lithuania: Evidence from register-based census-linked data
Volume 33 - Article 30

Fertility Reactions to the "Great Recession" in Europe: Recent Evidence from Order-Specific Data
Volume 29 - Article 4

Levels of recent union formation : Six European countries compared
Volume 22 - Article 9

Union formation and fertility in Bulgaria and Russia: A life table description of recent trends
Volume 19 - Article 62

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