Why are so many young people in certain regions of the postindustrial world delaying marriage and children, or not moving forward at all on either front?  Southern European and East Asian countries now universally have birth rates that are far below what is required to naturally replace their populations. This is leading to rapid population aging and the specter of lowered economic productivity. To unravel the reasons behind historically unprecedented low birth rates, Mary Brinton (Reischauer Institute Professor of Sociology) is leading a team of international collaborators in a five-country comparative study of gender equality and fertility. The research uses mixed methods and focuses particularly on original in-depth interviews with young urban adults in each of the five countries. Using these structured interviews, the research team is analyzing how greater gender equity in the home and the workplace makes it more possible for men and women to fulfill the standard goal of having two children. In countries such as Spain, Japan, and South Korea, where gender roles remain rigid despite women’s increased advance into higher education and the labor market, fertility rates have stagnated in part because of the difficulties women encounter in balancing work and family responsibilities or the “second shift.” The early results of the project illustrate the positive spillover effects of gender equality in postindustrial societies for population outcomes and economic growth.