>>   HG's have children on average once every 3 years. With the advent of
>> agriculture, women had children every 11 months.
>
>According to Jared Diamond, the lower birth rate of HGs was
>a result of economic necessity, implemented by means of
>infanticide rather than by some physiological difference.  This
>conclusion is supposedly based on studies of contemporary HGs.

Chimpanzee have offspring every 5 years. They don't have to be infanticide
to get that rate of birth . They just practice breasfeeding for 5 years. In
hunter gatherers tribes breast feeding is prolonged too certainly more than
agriculturists.

>- Higher female wages. Since children take up a large
>portion of the mother's time, the cost of having
>children rises with her wages (or usefulness to the
>household). Perhaps in an HG household females
>contribute more than in an agricultural household?

The concept of household in a tribal situation is not so restricted than in
an agriculturist situation . Children are more collectively raised .Infant
are carried by the mother while she gather or do whatever she need to do.
Older children take care of toddlers
>
>- Lower child wages. If children cannot contribute to
>the household, the rewards for having them are
>smaller. Perhaps children are more of a burden in an
>HG household?

I think because of agriculturists lost the support of a tribe ,they are more
likely to experience children as a burden , even more so when the household
is of nuclear family type. In the situation where children are ask to
contribuate to the tasks of adult, having more children is an economical
bonus. Hunter gatherers don't have to see children as an economic force.
There is nothing to gain at gathering or hunting more than the tribe needs.
Only agriculturists came with the notion of capitalism  and getting power
from stored foods.
>
>Today in countries with high female wages low
>fertility rates are accomplished with abstention,
>contraception and abortion. Without technology it's
>abstention or infanticide. If HGs don't understand
>where children come from then maybe infanticide is the
>only way.

The use of herbal abortion is quite frequent in Hg .
jean-claude






>