Fertility rates in South Africa have changed significantly in recent decades. This book offers an understanding of the factors that have contributed to the overall decline in fertility since the 1980s. The authors examine the consequences of this decline, the relationship between fertility and poverty, the issue of teenage pregnancies as well as the potential impact of HIV/AIDS on fertility levels in South Africa. This book contains the proceedings of a seminar, attended by leading national and international experts on the issue of fertility and hosted by the Department of Social Development and the Child, Youth and Family Development Research Programme of the HSRC in October 2002.