Fertility and processes related to childbearing are at the core of social demography. Fertility patterns shape population age structures as new cohorts of people add to the populations. Childbearing decisions are influenced by many factors related to the social environment in which people live.
Much of our research within this field focusses on changes in childbearing behavior in Sweden and the social structures that have contributed to the relatively high fertility levels of the Nordic countries. One project assesses the declining fertility during the 2010s and the degree of social (in)equalities in Swedish fertility. Demographers also study a wider spectra of family dynamics as partnership formation and dissolution are also related to fertility. Sweden has a reputation of being a forerunner in family-demographic trends, with a high degree of diversity in family forms.