| Sumario: | The Study of Social and Psychological Factors Affecting Fertility is a natural sequel to the studies of contraception carried out during the thirties. These earlier studies afforded rather clinching evidence that group differences in fertility are due almost entirely to group differences in the prevalence and effectiveness of contraceptive practice. They demonstrated for the first time that class differences in fertility are virtually nonexistent among groups practicing contraception similarly or not at all. Thus they not only served to invalidate the biological interpretations of class differences in fertility, but also threw a heavy burden of evidence against existing theories that the general decline of the birth rate has been due to biological deterioration. Nevertheless, they pointed to the need for further studies, for it was realized that contraception constitutes only the means of family limitation and that back of the means lies a network of cultural and personal factors inducing some people, more than others to resort to family limitation.
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