The Second Demographic Transition theory in practice: The case of Israel

Abstract

The goal of this dissertation was to examine several aspects of the demographic and social change in Israel within the conceptual frameworks of the second demographic transition theory and emancipation theory. Attitude and value change along with the changes in marriage and fertility behaviour in Israel in the last decades were the main object of study. It was argued that focusing on a single case study is beneficial for analyzing the underlying mechanisms and studying the transition as an integrated process, which is interconnected with broader cultural and economic changes. Such in-depth inquiry reveals the issues at stake from the individual point of view, which are often missing in many studies of demographic changes. It also discloses information about the contextual, path-dependent and historical factors that might hamper the onset and slow the further progression of the demographic transition in Israel.