I will preface these remarks by saying that I am a fierce believer in the fundamental equality of the sexes—after all, I am told that they are both necessary for the survival of the human race—or at least this seems to be so at the moment, though the way things are going it might at some time cease to be so. A second caveat is that I am not going to pretend to talk about the whole field of attainment, it would be inevitable that one would say too little about too much. However, if any of the audience wish to ask questions about any aspect of the topic in which they are interested I shall attempt to answer.

An obvious requirement before embarking on molecular genetic investigation of a trait is prior evidence from ‘classic’ genetic studies that there is indeed a genetic component. Many behavioural traits are familial and these range from comparatively uncommon single gene disorders such as Huntington's disease which has a typical mendelian dominant pattern of transmission, to much commoner characteristics such as career choice or religious denomination which, it might be assumed, are heavily influenced by cultural factors. In between, there is a wide range of attributes including personality type, cognitive ability and liability to common disorders such as depression, that show a tendency to run in families, and which could conceivably be explained by shared genes, shared environment or a combination of the two.

The seasonal distribution of deaths in the United States has progressively altered since 1940. The proportion of deaths in the first half of the year has declined. During the 1940s there were 7·44% more deaths in the first half than in the second half of the year, but during the 1960s the difference was only 4·85%.

The continuous shift in the seasonal distribution of the crude death rates from all causes is in association with a similar movement in the monthly fertility rates of the United States.

Using two Gallup polls, which together contained three questions on the attitudes of adult Americans towards population growth and control, a multivariate analysis was conducted of the relationship to each question of nine demographic factors: age, city size, education, family income, occupation of the household head, race, region, religion and sex. Only education and religion showed an intrinsic relationship with attitudes. Specifically, the extent of endorsement of the view that the world population growth rate is a serious problem, and of the view that population limitation will, at some time, be necessary, increased with education. Among those whose family income was at least $10,000 and those whose house-hold head was a professional or business executive, Protestants were more likely than Catholics to view US and world population growth rates as serious and to consider population limitation necessary.

The place of vasectomy within the sterilisation programme in Delhi over the period 1983–88 is reviewed and data on vasectomy acceptance and characteristics of acceptors are analysed. Findings suggest a need to improve the strategy for the promotion of vasectomy within the metropolis.

This paper examines the broad movements of Canadian period and cohort fertility over the last hundred years or so, and compares them with corresponding trends in the United States and other industrialized countries. The main movement in Canada was a decline in fertility extending from the nineteenth century to the present time, interrupted in the 1940s and 1950s by a ‘baby boom’. The long decline in cohort fertility is largely explained by the decrease in the proportions of families of six or more children. This decrease continued during the baby boom, but in these years was more than offset, though not for Catholics, by the effects of increases in the proportions of families with three, four, and five children.

In a survey of Swiss couples, the husband-wife agreement on contraception (current use, and methods ever used) is high and husbands are generally as well informed on the use of contraceptive methods as their wives. The data indicate that the use of condoms may be underestimated in interviewing women only and that the contraceptive behaviour of a couple is related to the fertility preferences of both wife and husband.

Using data collected through follow-up home visits to a sample of mothers, whose singleton babies were born at the Dufferin Hospital, Lucknow, September 1976—August 1977, estimates are made of infant mortality in Lucknow city, and its differentials by socioeconomic, demographic and health care characteristics of the infants and their families. Infant mortality was 74·5 per 1000 births during the year 1976–77 and there is evidence of some recent decline in it.

Among socioeconomic factors considered, infant mortality is found to be inversely related with caste status among Hindus, education of mother, father's monthly income, and father's occupation. Infant mortality exhibits a J-shaped distribution in relation to maternal age and parity and a reversed J-shaped distribution in relation to maternal age at marriage. Among health and health care factors, antenatal care of the mother appears to exercise a negative influence on infant mortality, which also shows a marked negative relationship with birth weight and feeding index of the child. The findings suggest important policy implications, which, if followed, would help to reduce infant mortality, and would thus remove a serious obstacle in the way of acceptance of the small family norm and its achievement through the adoption of family planning.

At a hospital contraceptive clinic with between 1200 and 2400 new clients each year, regular recording is made of the social and personal characteristics of the clinic users together with their contraceptive and reproductive histories. An analysis has been made of the differences found between those accepting the pill and those the intrauterine device (IUD) at their first attendance. Age and parity show marked differences and these are related to employment and ethnic origin. Previous contraceptive use showed distinct differences; IUD acceptors were more likely to have had induced abortions. These findings are discussed in relation to the prevalent use of these two methods and it is suggested that IUD fitting should be more widely available.

Earlier studies have queried whether divorce was associated with childlessness. Evidence from surveys of broken marriages passing through the divorce courts of England and Wales indicates that infertility and divorce are not related in the way supposed. When the duration of de facto marriage is controlled, divorcing couples have a higher rate of fertility than that found within those who remain married. The former are also more likely to have a larger family size within the same period of time. Similar findings emerge from data relating to broken marriages resorting to the magistrates' courts. These results are partly a consequence of the trend whereby working-class marriages—with their earlier start of a family and larger completed family size—form an increasing proportion of all divorcing couples.

Survey results showed that within a divorcing population a shorter period of cohabitation resulted in a higher level of infertility. High infertility rates were also associated with later age at marriage and high social class. Current trends suggest that an increasing proportion of divorcing couples will be childless. It is concluded that there is need for a deeper knowledge of possible relationships, and their causes, in this and other areas of married life.

This article considers the methods used to estimate the number of abortions before the 1967 Abortion Act came into operation. It suggests that the registration of legal abortions has enabled a new method to be used to calculate the number of illegal operations. The article concludes that the major effect of the Act was to transfer abortions from the illegal to the legal sector and, using the new method of calculation, estimates a total number of abortions immediately before the Act of just over 100,000 a year.

The results of measurements of triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses in over 7000 businessmenare presented. Mean subscapular skinfold thickness, taken just below the point of the right shoulder blade, increases, while mean triceps skinfold thickness, taken at the outer side of the upper arm, decreases with age. The evidence suggests that the increase in the subscapular skinfold thickness is a reflection of the increase in weight with age when adjusted for height; on the other hand, the fall in triceps skinfold thickness in the older age groups may be due to a cohort effect. The inference, that the subscapular measurement or perhaps the difference between the two measurements are better indications of obesity in middle-aged businessmen than the triceps measurement, is supported by other published data.

Consultant gynaecologists in the Wessex Regional Health Authority were interviewed about their abortion work. Wide variations in attitudes and practice are evident. Whilst the consultants broadly refer to the same criteria in deciding whether to perform an abortion or not, the assessment they make of the relevance of these criteria is very much an individual matter.

In a survey in Coventry of 1079 post-natal patients, 11% (104) of married women and 46% (32) of single women stated that this birth was unwanted and emotionally distressing. The married women with unwanted births were the same age as other married women, but had substantially larger families. The single women with unwanted births were younger and all had left school at 16 years or below. Ten per cent of married women and 28% of single women with unwanted births had no knowledge of contraception and 28% of married women and 78% of single women with unwanted births had not used any contraceptive methods. Seventy-six per cent of married women and 78% of single women with unwanted births would have liked further professional advice.

The study demonstrates that, regardless of location, a pronounced reduction in fertility is achieved in Sri Lanka by the completion of junior secondary or higher levels of education; the reduction seems to be more marked in rural than in urban areas. Increased efforts to ensure that a significantly higher proportion of girls in Sri Lanka complete at least the junior secondary level would be likely to effect a significant reduction in fertility. It is therefore important in developing countries to explore the potential influence of female educational attainment as an effective weapon towards fertility reduction and to ascertain the extent of the decline in fertility produced by varing degrees of education, according to various characteristics.

A postal questionnaire was sent to one randomly selected half of the general practitioners on the Sheffield Executive Council list in April 1967 concerning the advice they give about family planning; 90% responded, and of these 78% suggest contraceptive measures on their own initiative. All the respondents either advise patients directly, refer them elsewhere, or both; 93% will on occasion advise the patient themselves, and 73% refer patients to the FPA. Of those who advise directly 92% prescribe the pill; 32 % of the respondents have had training in contraceptive methods. Doctors trained in Ireland were less likely to suggest contraception measures on their own initiative or to prescribe the pill, and more likely to prescribe the safe period than doctors trained elsewhere in the British Isles.

This study reports the first analysis of mortality differentials in Nepal. Longitudinal survey data collected from four districts indicate infant mortality was lower and child survival higher in the hill than in the plains (Terai) region, but that the differential narrowed between 1975 and 1978. In addition, child survival varied directly with education and landholdings within both regions. Possible explanations for the findings include the presence of vertical and integrated family planning and maternal and child health programmes and differential access to and utilization of health care and health facilities.

The present study of 329 Australian and 281 Papua New Guinean (PNG) high school youth compared students' perceptions of the economic role of children, the importance of personal aspirations, evidence of support for the conjugal family and for cultural props. As predicted, the economic role of children was more important to PNG students, and considerably less so to young Australians. Predicted differences in personal aspirations were less clear cut, but young Australians cited more frequently the restrictions and economic costs in having children. In addition, Australians emphasized more than PNG students the pleasure, pride, fulfilment and achievement in having children. As expected in a low fertility country, Australian students mentioned more often the love and companionship of children, although students in both countries had similar views about the impact of children upon the marital relationship. Lineage and religious benefits from children were more salient to PNG youth.

This paper presents fertility and child mortality estimates for agricultural households of the Gondar and Hararge regions, based on the 1981 Rural Demographic Survey. The study shows that fertility and child mortality are quite high in both regions as in the rest of the country. However, Hararge has significantly higher mean parity and child mortality than Gondar.

Recent economic crises have severely affected national and international efforts to reduce the high morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The repercussions of these crises are manifest in declining living standards, increasing poverty, malnutrition, ill health and death. Depressed commodity prices, the oil crisis of the late 1970s, and the ensuing balance of payment problems have weakened most governments' efforts to halt and eventually reverse the economic decline. In sub-Saharan Africa the effects of these crises have combined with an ever-increasing population to render ineffective the limited investments in health care.