Fertility

Fertility is the ability to naturally produce offspring or the actual production of offspring. Fertility can be measured by the number of offspring per individual, per population, or per mating pair. Certain factors, such as the intention to have children and the maternal support available, enhance fertility. On the other hand, factors that reduce fertility include high female age, high male age, residence in an urban setting, wealth, intelligence, education, and whether the woman is in the workforce.  When parents live in urban centers, for example, they tend to have fewer children compared to those living in rural settings. Furthermore, studies show that the higher the number of children in a family, the more strenuous the parenting process becomes. Therefore, successful parenting goes hand in hand with fertility measures.