處於1990年代台灣地區面臨人口轉型末期之際，本文主要目的為檢討過去七十年間的總生育率變動，以驗證生育轉型過程中的第二種人口週期教果，亦即婦女的生育步調和人口週期變動的關係。 檢討婦女生育步調和人口週期變動的關係，本文主要引用Norman Ryder的總生育率分析模型，這個分析模型築基於年輪總生育率和年期種生育率之間的轉換關係：TFR=CFR x( l-m'+rv')，利用兩種組生育率的時間序列之間的關聯和差距，以顯現年期總生育率的週期性波動。Ryder的總生育率分析模型迵異於一般人口學常用的穩定人口的靜態比較分析模型而且有動態分析的特點。它運用微分方程式直接分析不同出生年輪陸續晉入生育年齡時所產生的年期總生育率變化，毋須對年齡率作固定的假設，而且容許生育量和生育年齡的同時變化，因此可以直接對台灣間地區生育轉型過程中的總生育率作實質的驗證和分析。 本文的分析證實由轉換公式求得的TFR相當大幅度地拉近了觀察的年期TFR水準與年輪CFR水準之間的差距，顯示年輪生育步調變動在台轉地區年期總生育率的表現上扮演相當重要的角色。

At a stage of approaching the completion of demographic transition in Taiwan in 1990s, this paper examines the transition of total fertility rates for the past seventy years, to explain the relationship between women's fertility tempo and population cycles. Norman Ryder’s translation model of cohort completed fertility and period total ferti1ity, TFR=CFR x (l-M'十RV'),.is employed here for analysis. The discrepancy between two time series of period fertility rate and cohort feiti1ity rate, signifies the effects of women's fertility tempo on period rate. Ryder’s model is robust in terms of its dynamical1y analytical nature, that allows us directly test the experience of Taiwan's fertility transition. Women's fertility tempo is defined as the mean age of fertility, variance of fertility age, and completed fertility in this model. It is found that women's ferti1ity tempo played a significant role in affecting the observed period fertility level during the process of ferti1ity transition in Taiwan. The big discrepancy between cohort and period fertility rates has become close,and two series have resembled each other, after the translation of CFR to TFR.