How Much Does Family Matter? Cooperative Breeding and the Demographic Transition.

The article presents an analysis of the importance of family in the context of household economics and demographic transitions worldwide. It is noted that in less developed economies, children contribute significant quantities of labor to the household, whereas in more developed countries they do not. The effects of kinship networks on the well-being of children are analyzed in terms of societies at various stages of demographic transition. Data from various studies is presented on the relationship between fertility rates and child-care arrangements.