Call for Chapters - Declining Fertility and the Devaluation of Childbearing

Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research (CPFR), a series focusing on cutting edge topics in family research around the globe, is seeking manuscripts for a special volume titled: Declining Fertility and the Devaluation of Childbearing. 

Around the globe, fertility rates have been steadily declining, leading to dramatic changes in family structures and norms. Indeed, the decreases in fertility have prompted many governments to use propaganda and financial incentives to encourage couples to bear more children, yet these attempts have largely failed to produce positive change. The declines in fertility have been associated with a variety of factors, such as modernization, greater individualism, rising financial costs of raising children, the “motherhood penalty” faced by working women, and declines in support networks for childbearing and childrearing. Ultimately, the value of childbearing and the normative expectation of becoming a parent appear to be decreasing. 

In order to gain a better understanding of declining fertility and the devaluation of childbearing, this multidisciplinary volume of CPFR will examine fertility and childbearing from a variety of perspectives. We seek empirical, theoretical, along with practice and policy-oriented manuscripts that cover a wide array of topics including the rising financial costs of childbearing, “childfree” couples, the impact of individualism and materialism on fertility, the prioritization of educational and occupational attainment over childbearing, rising age at first birth, changing perceptions of childlessness, economic uncertainty and fertility aspirations, the delinking of marriage and childbearing, shifting cultural norms concerning family, fertility aspirations and educational attainment, changes in the perceived value of children, women’s empowerment, technological change and fertility, the emotional strains of parenting, and the effect of religion and cultural norms on fertility aspirations, among others. 

Submission guidelines

Manuscripts should be limited to approximately 40 double spaced pages (not including tables, figures, and references), adhere to APA format, and submitted as MS WORD documents. Include an abstract of 150-200 words at the beginning of the manuscript. Zheng Mu (National University of Singapore), Veronica L. Gregorio (National University of Singapore) and Sampson Lee Blair of The State University of New York (USA) will serve as editors for the upcoming volume. Please submit manuscripts directly to the editors ([email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]). All manuscript submissions should be original work. Manuscript submission to this call for papers implies a commitment to publishing with CPFR. All manuscripts will undergo peer review, and there are no fees. 

The deadline for initial submissions is October 31, 2026. Any questions may be directed to the editors at [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].