short answer(1 paragraph each)

4. Most demographers believe that the “granddaddy” of fertility transition issues, or the classical theory, is linked to demographic transition that comes from urbanization and industrialization and that with a decline in mortality comes a decline in fertility. Another demographer, Caldwell, came up with the theory of wealth flows which says fertility decline can be attributed to the shift to a nuclear family, which can be caused by economic or cultural forces. Another theory is the neoclassical microeconomic theory of fertility that says there are three determinants of couples’ fertilization choices; 1. Relative cost of children versus other goods, 2. The couple’s income, and 3. How much they want a child in comparison to other forms of consumption. Lastly, there is the “identical theory” by Cleland and Wilson that says the timing of fertility transition correlates with the spread/acceptance of information about birth control. Mason points out that although so many theories exist, none actually contains a complete explanation for fertility decline because not all transitions will have the same cause, nor is there necessarily a single or common cause. For example, many women may leave their family planning “up to God” or to luck rather than concrete family planning, meaning these are “nonnumerical” responses when it comes to assessing family planning or reproductive careers, making it hard to evaluate or correlate the trends with a single factor for a whole population.

5. Interestingly, most of the factors that have led to rapid fertility transition in Thailand seem to have come from a change between the older and younger generations. Firstly, children are seen to be less useful when it comes to aiding in household chores or contributing to the economic activities of the family, most likely because of increased schooling. Additionally, there was a perceived rise in the cost of child living and child rearing. Most of the younger generation believed that everything now is expensive and it’s hard to make a proper living, making it cheaper and more reasonable to have a smaller family. This is also coupled by the fact that younger parents feel the need to spend more on their children, making having many children an even more expensive cost in their eyes. The rise in the prices of goods, such as food, schooling, transportation, and even medical care, has made the general cost of living in Thailand more expensive, therefore making younger people not want to support numerous children. Under this umbrella, the literal cost of child bearing in a hospital has also increased, also adding to the hesitance to have more children. The cost of education has gone up, as has the need and expectation for education.

Another big factor is that family size has become a decision rather than considered a “natural process.” Family planning has become a common societal norm as time has progressed. Building off of this aspect, females in Thailand have also increasingly come to be autonomous and make their own, independent decisions (yay!). Birth control has become more of a norm, allowing people to take control of their own lives in terms of children and the expenses that come with being a parent.