Społeczno-kulturowe aspekty zmian dzietności i ich konsekwencje dla rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego

Abstract

Thesis: Present‑day radical fertility changes are determined by socio‑cultural factors and will have consequences for the economy and its development potential. Current changes in the fertility rate in Poland are the subject of many discussions and arguments. It means that, among the challenges for researchers, firstly, they have to understand the background to this issue and identify the factors influencing procreative decisions. Secondly, they should demonstrate how population growth changes and will change society, and the economy in particular. Our paper analyzes the mentioned research problem by engaging tools from sociology and cultural studies to examine the influence of norms, values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours on the changing level of birth rate and its economic consequences for the current and future functioning of the social order. The purpose of the analyses is to deepen and compare the results of findings from such disciplines as demography, statistics and economics, and present them against a background of socio‑cultural transformations, which seem to be very important in the context of Polish females and males making procreative decisions. Additionally, the paper presents links between fertility and economic development, which often seem to be ignored or underestimated.