• Vienna Institute of Demography (Ed.) - Éva Beaujouan - Marie-Caroline Compans - Alice Goisis - Jasmin Passet-Wittig (Guest Eds.)

Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 2026

Special issue: Delayed reproduction

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The Vienna Yearbook of Population Research is an open access journal that features contributions addressing population trends as well as a broad range of theoretical and methodological issues in population research. Besides Research articles and Review articles, the journal includes Data and Trends contributions, which analyse changes in population dynamics or present databases and data infrastructure. It also features Perspectives articles, which focus on ideas, concepts or theories, as well as invited Debates reflecting on selected questions and issues. Since 2008, the volumes have been devoted to selected themes following special calls for thematic issues.

The 2026 volume of the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research brings together a diverse set of contributions examining delayed reproduction as a defining feature of contemporary demographic change. The papers explore how later transitions to parenthood reshape reproductive trajectories, fertility intentions and birth outcomes for individuals and societies. Particular emphasis is placed on heterogeneities and inequalities by educational background, migration status, and place of residence. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches and drawing on data from Europe, the Americas, and Asia, the issue highlights that delayed reproduction is a lasting trend with significant consequences for future fertility and societies more broadly.
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
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Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 2026
ISSN 1728-4414
Print Edition
ISSN 1728-5305
Online Edition
ISBN 978-3-7001-5156-2
Print Edition
ISBN 978-3-7001-5157-9
Online Edition



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Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
A-1011 Wien, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2,
Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400
https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: bestellung.verlag@oeaw.ac.at
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Rethinking age-specific fecundability: Selection bias can generate apparent rapid decline with age

    Amanda Jean Stevenson, Leslie J. Root, Jane Menken

Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 2026, pp. , 2026/08/12

Special issue: Delayed reproduction

doi: 10.1553/p-p7d2-d2hz


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doi:10.1553/p-p7d2-d2hz


Abstract

Age-specific fecundability among conception seekers is frequently treated as evidence of how much individuals should expect their own fecundability to decline. Demographers caution against this practice because of negative selection on fecundability among people seeking to conceive at older ages. We revisit this classic result, using simulation to investigate the plausible degree of selection introduced by two processes: on average, first, those with higher fecundability have more births before seeking to conceive; and second, these individuals achieve their desired births sooner, and thus seek to conceive higher-parity births at younger ages. We simulate full reproductive lives for cohorts in which fecundability is constant with age for individuals but varies across individuals. Thus, any change in the age-specific fecundability of conception seekers comes from selection. Our results demonstrate that selection alone can generate substantial depression in observed fecundability at later ages. We call for greater caution in interpreting age patterns of observed fecundability as straightforward evidence of individual age-related decline.

Keywords: Fecundability; Postponement; Microsimulation; Selection bias; Infertility; Reproductive careers

Published Online: 2026/08/12

Object Identifier: 0xc1aa5572 0x0041ddba

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Metrics: https://plu.mx/plum/a/?doi=10.1553/p-p7d2-d2hz

Rights: © The Author(s), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2026. This article/book is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) that allows the sharing, use and adaptation in any medium, provided that the user gives appropriate credit, provides a link to the license, and indicates if changes were made.