| Chapter 2: | Background and Theoretical Development |
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process. In the following section, we present the major social and structural theories of fertility.
Major Social and Structural Theories of Fertility
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I. Factors affecting exposure to intercourse (Intercourse variables).
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A. Those governing the formation and dissolution of unions in the reproductive period.
- 1. Age of entry into sexual unions
- 2. Permanent celibacy: proportion of women never entering sexual unions
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3. Amount of reproductive period spent after or before unions
- a. when unions are broken by divorce, separation, or between unions
- b. when unions are broken by death of husband
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B. Those governing the exposure to intercourse within unions.
- 4. Voluntary abstinence
- 5. Involuntary abstinence (from impotence, illness, unavoidable but temporary separations)
- 6. Coital frequency (excluding periods of abstinence).