Paper short abstract:

In this paper, the author presents a case study of ‘non-typical’ couples in Slovenia who, independently of the general trend of below-replacement fertility on national level, have both children and university education.

Paper long abstract:

Given that the year 1980 is widely recognised as the turning point of below replacement fertility trend in Slovenia, and that the lowest fertility rates on the national level have been recorded among the university educated people, the author discusses those couples who, independently of the general trend, obtained both high level of education and statistically above-average number of children. By comparing two generations of four selected families, the author sought to identify the key differences between these people's wider context of reproductive decisions before and after the year 1980. Their reproductive histories go back into socialism times, and extend into post-socialism. A 'bottom-up' explanation of the background of 'non-typical' couples' reproductive decisions could prove conducive to better understanding of complex fertility behaviour, particularly in the view of recent studies that have reported positive relationship between education and high-order births in 'industrialised below-replacement societies'.