Asia Experiences Huge Birth-Rate Decline -- VOA News
(2011-01-16)Sidney Westley, a Communications Specialist in the Research Program at the East-West Center, said, "In each of these societies, fertility has dropped very steeply, (which) I think (is) surprising demographers. It has fallen faster and fallen to a lower rate than people would probably have anticipated 15 or 20 years ago." ... Minja Choe is Senior Fellow in the Research Program in the area of Population and Health. "Most women like to get married and have about two children in their lives. But a lot of times they do not feel quite ready to do it and by waiting too long, they lose the chance to have two children or they lose the chance to get married," she said. ... Bob Retherford, Coordinator of Population and Health Studies and a Senior Fellow, says those reasons are reflected in two main areas. "One is later marriage and less marriage. And the second major category is lower fertility within marriage," he said. -- Also appears in: CNIELS.com, Thai Press Reports, Yindii
eastwestcenter·voanews.com·
