Anatomy of a fertility decline: Peninsular Malaysia, 1950–1976

Data from a retrospective survey are used to analyse trends in the fertility of Peninsular Malaysia's three main ethnic groups, Malays, Chinese and Indians. Though imperfect, these data allow a comparison of the fertility experience of birth cohorts of women who were in their childbearing years during two decades of rapid social change. Two components of the birth interval, post-partum amenorrhoea and the menstruating interval, and proximate determinants of these two components, breast-feeding and contraceptive use, are considered. Ethnic differences in the way these components have changed over time are more pronounced than differences in completed fertility, primarily because Malay women breast-fed longer then women of Chinese origin, while the latter were more likely to use modern contraceptives.