Objective
Why do people have children? Why do they have the number of children they do? These questions are of fundamental importance, but we do not yet have satisfactory answers. I propose to bring an interdisciplinary perspective, involving demography, evolutionary biology, anthropology and psychology, to bear on this topic. The aim is to test the hypothesis that intergenerational influences are important determinants of fertility, from fertility intentions to timing of births to number of children. The theoretical rationale derives from a hypothesis emerging from evolutionary biology that humans are cooperative breeders : mothers need help from others to raise children, because human children are too costly for mothers to raise alone. The support of relatives, particularly intergenerational support, is thus vital to women in determining how many children they have. If so, there is a major gap in our understanding of fertility, since such influences have not been systematically studied. This aim will be achieved using rigorous, empirical methods to analyse data from all world regions, and to use novel methods for collecting new data on fertility. The key to this project is its holistic comparative nature. The ultimate goal will be a novel comparative analysis of data from the full gamut of human societies, from small-scale traditional societies through historical populations to contemporary nations surveyed through large-scale surveys. This will allow us to go beyond simply documenting kin influences, and to understand why particular kin matter under which circumstances. Such a comparative approach has not been used before but is vital if we are to fully understand why fertility varies. This will significantly advance understanding of fertility, and promote interdisciplinary research.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- social sciences sociology demography fertility
- social sciences sociology anthropology
- social sciences psychology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2010-StG_20091209
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
WC1E 7HT LONDON
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.