Post # 5: World Population and Fertility

Since ancient times women generally preferred to control their fertility through some form of contraception because abortion, especially in pre-industrial societies, often put them in as much physical danger as childbirth with its high maternal mortality rates in ancient times. According to A History of Contraception from Antiquity to the Present Day there was "no important technological breakthrough" that lead to widespread decline in fertility rates in Europe starting in 19th century (link). The most popular methods available to women at the time were extended lactation, condoms, coitus interruptus, and abstinence although it can be argued that extended lactation or prolonged breastfeeding and abstinence were the only methods truly under the woman's control, since coitus interruptus and condom use would naturally require the cooperation of the man. But whichever methods were used, they appeared to be largely effective, especially looking at the demography of France from mid 19th century to 1920s ("French family" was a term used by the English when referring to two-child households). According to Angus McLaren, in 19th century, "American and western Europe entered a new demographic age", undergoing a demographic transition where by 1914 the average family was cut in half (link). But the increasing use of contraception was not signaled so much by the decreasing family size as by the increasing number of women who decided to stop giving birth at an early age, as result making more determined use of the contraception strategies available to them. Which of these strategies were most effective at the time is not so easy to answer but statistical evidence gathered in 1930s suggested that the two most popular methods of birth control in Britain was withdrawal (or coitus interruptus) and the condom, suggesting that the average woman concerned with preventing pregnancy would rely on directly controlling her male partner's fertility instead of actively controlling her own fertility. This might have had to do with the lack of effective female contraception methods as well as being prior to the invention of birth control pill of course. And the Pill changed everything.