The first demographic transition changed the face of the western world as thoroughly as did the
Industrial Revolution. As couples began to have fewer children women were released from the
heavy burden of endless pregnancies and extended periods of child care. Even though this
profound process of change has been extensively researched women were rarely pictured as
decision-makers concerning fertility and family. Moreover men and women were mostly not
perceived as having potentially differing interests in sexuality and child-bearing. This volume
contains papers delivered at the conference Were Women Present at the Demographic Transition?
which was held at the Radboud University Nijmegen 20-21 May 2005. The contributions throw
light on the active role women played in the fertility decline as well as on the complex
process of decision-making between husbands and wives.
