Description
Book SynopsisDuring the 20th century, the Dai people lived a traditional agrarian life, with minimal modern industry and commerce. Yet unlike other rural societies and ethnic groups such as the Han, birthrate was moderate and there was no son preference. To understand this apparent anomaly, the book draws on a range of anthropological and psychological theories of human behavior by scholars such as Fei Xiaotong, Li Yinhe and Abraham Maslow, and shows the complexity of human fertility behavior, and the inadequacy of purely economic theories.
The prevalence of Theravada Buddhist, abundant natural resources and an inheritance system that is agnostic about the sex of the children are key factors in the persistent low fertility and belief in gender equality among the Dai people. The author argues that this understanding of how low fertility rate can take place without overt policy intervention has important implications for what China might do to prepare for its demographic future.
Table of ContentsList of Figures – List of Tables – Introduction – Theoretical Research on Fertility Behavior in Demography – Historical Overview of the Dai Traditional Fertility Behavior – Empirical Study of the Dai Traditional Fertility Behavior – Factors in Traditional Low Fertility Rates among the Dai – Theoretical Analyses and Interpretations of the Traditional Low Fertility Behavior of the Dai – Rethinking of the Interpretation Paradigm of Human Fertility Behavior – China Adapts to Low Fertility Rates – Survey Records of the Reproductive Histories of Surveyed Dai Households.
