There is little question that the changes in the American demographic structurethat occurred in the 1960s would set the stage for a new era in the demographichistory of the United States after 1970. In fact, these changes in so manydifferent areas could be said to mark a revolutionary transformation in thedemographic history of the nation. The impact of the contraceptive pill andprogressively changing norms about women's role in society were two of thefactors driving this change. These changing attitudes were reflected in thesteady rise of female labor participation rates, of female tertiary educationrates, of the median age of first marriage, and of the age when women werehaving their first children. In turn, these later marriages and pregnancies ledto a dramatic decline in fer tility among the white native population, which,for the first time in the history of the country, fell below replacement level.Once the majority established these low fertility norms, they were slowlyadopted by almost all the other racial and ethnic minorities and by mostimmigrants. These low rates have been in place for the past 40 years and showlittle sign of reversing, especially as they parallel what has been occurring inall advanced industrial societies since the decade of the 1960s.