Religions and Low Fertility Today

Our understanding of whether, to what extent, and under which conditions relig-ions nowadays influence birth levels de-pends on research. It is important to seek answers to two fundamental questions. The first question is about the role of religiosity and religious affiliation in the deterministic cause of low fertility and family planning in recent times. The sec-ond question deals with the influence of religious institutions on birth levels and the exercise of reproductive rights at the global level and within certain population groups over recent decades. To that end, the paper provides an overview of theo-retical examinations of the connection between religions and fertility, empirical studies addressing low completed fertility, birth control, or sexual behaviour in rela-tion to religiosity or religious affiliation of individuals, as well as the influence of religious institutions on fertility transition and the respect of human rights in this field. A review of the recent studies of various populations characterised by low birth levels shows that religiosity, espe-cially practising religion, encourages peo-ple to uphold traditional values, attitudes, and behaviours that are directly or indi-rectly related to the concepts of marriage and childbearing. Moreover, it sheds light on some examples of religious institutions’ concrete opposition to progress in this area, while also highlighting contradictory cases of religions supporting profound contemporary changes in reproductive behaviour.