A micro-analytical investigation of reproductive behaviour in Italy during the Fascist period

Between the late 1920s and the early 1930s, in line with what was happening in numerous European countries, the fascist regime in Italy instigated a series of measures aimed at combating the decline in fertility. Using individual data on four communities with different socio-economic characteristics taken from the Census of 1961, this study aims to verify if the regime's propaganda campaign and regulative measures to boost the birth-rate had any real impact within particular segments of the population. The study shows that there was only a modest recovery in the birth rate for a short period. These increases can be partly attributable to the policies activated from 1937 that prompted a significant increase in the marriage rate. apart of this little effect, individual-level analysis has revealed no increase in the birth-rate connected by the regime's policy.