A preliminary note on fertility differentials by social class in Suriname

This paper examines the fertility differentials by social class in Suriname in the 1960s and 1970s, and analyses the sudden stagnation in the decline in fertility that occurred between 1962 and 1974. Substantial differences in fertility by social class existed in the 1960s and 1970s in Suriname, with the number of liveborn children to mothers at each age during the childbearing period being higher for lower class than for middle class mothers. Both social classes contributed to the drop in overall fertility which occurred between 1962-74 although the middle class displayed the largest reduction in fertility. The stabilization of the fertility trend since 1974 is limited to the middle class which seems to have realized its ideal family size.