Qualitative methodology in demography: a proposal based on fertility

Abstract

The relevance and validity of incorporating qualitative methodological approach to demographic research are the subject of this paper. We begin with a review of the epistemological and methodological concepts for approaching the study of populations based on Demography, thus reviewing Demographic Science’s object of study. We then present a brief history of population evolution and the major theories that followed, described and explained this process. Thus, we bring elements that validate the emergence of the qualitative to the various questions within this science. Taking, as an example, the fertility variable as an object of study, we propose a theoretical approach to delineate three levels: the macrosocial level, where society is; the individual level; and, between these two extremes, an intermediate level, which could be called the mesosocial instance, by which we arrive at the impact of the social on individuals and their behaviors, thus validating the relevance of qualitative and mixed approaches to explain reproductive behaviors. Finally, we conclude that the qualitative epistemological positioning offers tools and a constructive modus operandi and can contribute to the explanatory, predictive, and propositional roles of the demographic science.