Introduction: the seminar’s central thesis

Abstract

The central thesis of the seminar is the supposition of a connection between demographic phenomena and the status of women. For purposes of the seminar the thesis was divided into four major themes each of which relate a field of demographic study to the status of women. These fields are: marriage and marriage dissolution; marital fertility; extramarital fertility; and geographic mobility. The content of the themes was very loosely defined to allow the authors room for developing their own preferences. Consequently, the articles differ rather strongly in terms of their approach. These differences call for systematic analysis which will be given directly. In the second part of this introduction several problems which did not arise explicitly in the articles are treated and finally, an attempt is made based on the first two sections to evaluate the utility of the seminar’s central thesis.