Population Council Research that makes a difference

XXVI IUSSP International Population Conference
27 September–2 October 2009

Abstract

Ethnicity and migration effects on fertility behavior in Pakistan
Batool Zaidi and Laura J. Reichenbach

The latest DHS 2006–07 data show a TFR in Pakistan of 4.1 and a decline in the contraceptive prevalence rate to 29 percent. Previous explanations for this sluggish fertility behavior include barriers due to religion, gender discrimination, low levels of social development, and lack of demand for family planning. This paper examines the hypothesis that ethnicity plays a significant explanatory role in the uptake of family planning services. It does so by examining the impact of ethnicity (measured as linguistic grouping) on the social diffusion of fertility behavior through its influence on cultural values related to reproductive and fertility behavior. The paper uses several national data sets to examine alternative explanations for understanding the lagging fertility behavior in Pakistan by drawing on the literature on social diffusion and fertility change. Analysis of subnational migration behavior is considered whenever possible to better understand the importance of ethnicity on fertility behavior.

IUSSP 2009 conference Web site

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