The research note “Why Don’t Eastern Europeans Have More Children?” (2014) by Zsolt Spéder and Balázs Kapitány investigates the low fertility rates in Eastern Europe and examines why individuals often fail to realize their childbearing intentions. Using data from the Generations and Gender Survey, the study highlights the role of rapid economic and institutional changes following the post-communist transition, which have outpaced slower shifts in family values and gender roles. Economic instability, reduced trust in welfare institutions, and structural inequalities disproportionately affect those with lower incomes, leading to a higher likelihood of abandoning or revising childbearing plans.
Spéder, Z., & Kapitány, B. (2014). Why Don’t Eastern Europeans Have More Children? Generations & Gender Programme Research Note No. 04. Hungarian Demographic Research Institute. Download
