Based on the 2002 conference Fertility: The Current South African Issues of Poverty, HIV/AIDS, and Youth emanating from the partnership between the Department of Social Development, the South African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN), and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), this book examines the underlying link between fertility and socio-economic development. The complex features in the current fertility trends in post-apartheid South Africa are examined, including the demographic fertility profile of South Africa's population, determinants of fertility-related behaviours such as sexual initiation in the context of AIDS, contraceptive use, and the broader regional fertility issues.