Situational indicator or the ultimate descent? - The fall and rise of birthrates in European societies

Abstract

A controversy that arose recently in France, among demographers, formed the pretext for this study. As well as the dull, technical problem of the interpretable potential of two distinct indicators: «the situational indicador» and «the ultimate descent», questions of great relevance to contemporary European societies, were discussed, namely the decline in birthrate, maintenance of the birthrate above or below replacement level, recent signs of change in fertility patterns, the consequences of demographic dynamics and the role of immigrants in Europe. This study approaches the various aspects of this discussion, as well as its application to Portuguese demography.