It is a well-known fact in international demographic research that infant mortality (IMR) in a society is unevenly spread among families. This is a phenomenon that cannot be explained by "ordinary" family variables like social status, type of geographic area, country, time period, etc. This pattern may vary in strength, but it is almost always present. The purpose of the present project is to study this phenomenon, and the interaction between fertility and infant mortality in general, in an intergenerational perspective. Recent research indicates that causes are not only immediate, but also have an inherited component. For instance, mortality and fertility experiences in previous generations seem to affect the outcome in the next generation. However, the mechanisms behind these processes are very unclear. We expect that both genetically and socially inherited characteristics interplay. Many studies in the past have emphasized the positive correlation between high infant mortality and high fertility, but how this operates remains unclear. A crucial hypothesis to test is whether high-risk women had high-risk mothers. It is also important not to forget the male history; do fathers in high-risk families come from high-risk families? In this project, we will develop models in the context of co-varying event history processes.