Enclosures and Fertility in Southern Sweden. Were peasants consciously regulating their decisions regarding family size?

Abstract: This study analyzes the total fertility rate for twenty parishes in southern Sweden from 1785-1840 and its relationship with the enclosure movement. The analysis shows that the total fertility rate increases after enclosures took place. The explanation of these results is that peasants forsaw a profitable economic future because of the change in property rights and the change in the way agriculture was carried out