Family Formation and Fertility Decline in Nineteenth-Century Tasmania

The fertility decline which began across the industrialised world in the late nineteenth century greatly impacted the demographic, economic and social milieux of the twentieth century and beyond. Using family reconstitution techniques and a wide range of data, this project will explore the mechanisms by which fertility decline was achieved in nineteenth-century Tasmania and the broader societal influences that brought these mechanisms into play. The results will advance our understanding of Australia s evolution over the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. The research will result in three journal articles, a single-authored monograph and wide public dissemination.