Fertility

• One significant factor in changing women's roles in the family is the number of children women have. In colonial times, the average woman gave birth to seven children, although it was highly unlikely that all of these children would survive into adulthood. Death rates amongst children have plummeted since then, but so too have birth rates, and as of 2011, the estimated fertility rate has dropped to just 2.06 children per woman. Having fewer children has freed women to be able to pursue employment and other opportunities outside the home.