Culture and the Historical Fertility Transition.

This article investigates the sharp fertility decline beginning in 1877 in England and Wales and its simultaneous occurrence among culturally British populations in Canada, the United States, and South Africa. By comparing fertility changes within shared economic and policy environments but across culturally distinct groups, the study isolates culture as a key driver of the fertility transition, beyond economic incentives. It identifies the 1877 Bradlaugh–Besant trial—a high-profile legal case in Britain advocating for the moral right to control family size—as a plausible catalyst that rapidly shifted social norms about fertility, with widespread newspaper coverage facilitating the dissemination of these ideas. Empirical analysis using newspaper openings as an instrument for exposure to the trial shows that greater media exposure significantly contributed to fertility reductions, primarily through fertility control within marriage rather than delayed marriage. The findings highlight the role of cultural transmission and media in accelerating demographic transitions and suggest that cultural events can induce rapid behavioral changes even amid strong underlying economic incentives.