Unraveling the intergenerational transmission of fertility: genetic and shared-environment effects during the demographic transition in the Netherlands, 1810–1910

Bras, Hilde; Bavel, Jan Van; Mandemakers, Kees

doi:10.1080/1081602x.2013.803491

Cited by 35 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The pattern we found thus appears to be robust for completed fertility and AFB in Denmark and the UK. A recent study by Bras et al (2013) Genetic influence on age at first birth 139 also supports the reasoning underlying our interpretation of the findings of these studies. That study replicated the increase in heritability during the First Demographic Transition, using a database containing details of 100,000 sibling pairs born in the period 1810-70 in the Dutch Province of Zeeland.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Genetic influence on age at first birth of female twins born in the UK, 1919–68

et al. 2015

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Using a sample of monozygotic (945, 42 per cent) and dizygotic (1,329, 58 per cent) twin pairs born 1919-68 in the UK, we applied innovative tobit models to investigate genetic and environmental influences on age at first birth (AFB). We found that a substantial part (40 per cent) of the variation in AFB is caused by latent family characteristics. Genetic dispositions (26 per cent) play a more important role than the shared environment of siblings (14 per cent), with the non-shared environment/measurement error having the strongest influence (60 per cent). Like previous studies, this study reveals marked changes in estimates over time, and supports the idea that environmental constraints (war or economic crisis) suppress and normative freedom (sexual revolution) promotes the activation of genetic predispositions that affect fertility. We show that the exclusion of censored information (i.e., on the childless) by previous studies biased their results.

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Section: Summary and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Genetic influence on age at first birth of female twins born in the UK, 1919–68

et al. 2015

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“…When fertility practices were relatively stable in the population, family-level environmental influences (which may represent influences such as socioeconomic status and subcultural norms) explained far more variance in fertility than genetic influences. A similar genotype × cohort interaction has recently been found for Dutch cohorts during the first demographic transition (Bras et al, 2013). Highlighting the dynamic connection between social context and the expression of genetic influences on fertility, this study found that heritability increased to a greater extent for wealthy women living in urban and religiously liberal environments.…”

Section: Genotype × Cohort Interactionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Genotype × Cohort Interaction on Completed Fertility and Age at First Birth

2014

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Microevolutionary projections use empirical estimates of genetic covariation between physical or psychological phenotypes and reproductive success to forecast changes in the population distributions of those phenotypes over time. The validity of these projections depends on relatively consistent heritabilities of fertility-relevant outcomes and consistent genetic covariation between fertility and other physical or psychological phenotypes across generations. However, well-documented, rapidly changing mean trends in the level and timing of fertility may have been accompanied by differences in the genetic mechanisms of fertility. Using a sample of 933 adult twin pairs from the Midlife Development in the United States study, we demonstrate that genetic influences on completed fertility and age at first birth were trivial for the 1920 to 1935 birth cohort, but rose substantially for the 1936 to 1955 birth cohort. For the 1956 to 1970 birth cohort, genetic influences on completed fertility, but not age at first birth, persisted. Because the heritability of fertility is subject to change dynamically with the social context, it is difficult to project selection pressures or the rate at which selection will occur.

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“…In particular, there were improvements in economic, medical and hygienic conditions during the First Demographic Transition, with the Second Demographic Transition characterized by the introduction of the pill and cultural transformations relaxing fertility norms triggering genetic expressions (Van de Kaa 1987). A recent study corroborates this reasoning, applying an extension of the family model on a large scale database containing 100,000 sibling pairs from the Dutch Province of Zeeland born between 1810 and 1870 (Bras et al 2013). These findings not only show a rise in heritability during the first Demographic Transition, but they present evidence that this rise was especially true for women in more urban areas or with a liberal religious climate, thus underscoring the idea that individual freedom triggers genetic influences on the NEB.…”

Section: Gene and Environment (G × E) Interaction At The Macro-(populmentioning

confidence: 56%

The Biodemography of Fertility: A Review and Future Research Frontiers

Mills

Tropf

2016

Social Demography Forschung an Der Schnittstelle Von Soziologie Und Demografie

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The social sciences have been reticent to integrate a biodemographic approach to the study of fertility choice and behaviour, resulting in theories and findings that are largely socially-deterministic. The aim of this paper is to first reflect on reasons for this lack of integration, provide a review of previous examinations, take stock of what we have learned until now and propose future research frontiers. We review the early foundations of proximate determinants followed by behavioural genetic (family and twin) studies that isolated the extent of genetic influence on fertility traits. We then discuss research that considers gene and environment interaction and the importance of cohort and country-specific estimates, followed by multivariate models that explore motivational precursors to fertility and education. The next section on molecular genetics reviews fertility-related candidate gene studies and their shortcomings and on-going work on genome wide association studies. Work in evolutionary anthropology and biology is then briefly examined, focusing on evidence for natural selection. Biological and genetic factors are relevant in explaining and predicting fertility traits, with socio-environmental factors and their interaction still key in understanding outcomes. Studying the interplay between genes and the environment, new data sources and integration of new methods will be central to understanding and predicting future fertility trends.

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Unraveling the intergenerational transmission of fertility: genetic and shared-environment effects during the demographic transition in the Netherlands, 1810–1910

Cited by 35 publications

References 37 publications

Genetic influence on age at first birth of female twins born in the UK, 1919–68

Genetic influence on age at first birth of female twins born in the UK, 1919–68

Genotype × Cohort Interaction on Completed Fertility and Age at First Birth

The Biodemography of Fertility: A Review and Future Research Frontiers

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