World Birth Trends explores the complex factors influencing childbirth preferences globally, examining why birth locations vary drastically. It highlights how cultural norms, socioeconomic status, and healthcare accessibility shape these decisions. For instance, the book analyzes the 20th-century shift to hospital births in industrialized nations and the ongoing preference for home births in many developing countries due to limited access or cultural practices.
The approach is interdisciplinary, blending public health, sociology, and economics to understand maternal health disparities. It uses data from sources like WHO and UNICEF alongside ethnographic studies, offering a unique holistic perspective.
The book progresses from fundamental concepts to examining trends in high-income countries, then low— and middle-income countries, and finally analyzes global data to propose recommendations for maternal healthcare policy.
