|
| ||||||
MEDIA CENTER In Egypt and Morocco, Delayed Childbirth Contributes to Lower Fertility NEW YORK (14 March 2001) — According to a new report in the March issue of the Population Council's peer-reviewed journal Studies in Family Planning, delayed childbearing plays an important role in lowering fertility levels in several of the most populous Arab countries. The article, by sociologist Eltigani E. Eltigani, explores the relationship between family-building patterns and fertility in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, and Yemen—-five countries at different stages in the transition from high to low fertility. Noting that the estimated total fertility rate for these countries ranges from 3.3 births per woman in Morocco to 7.7 births per woman in Yemen, Eltigani investigates how three factors—women's age at first birth, spacing births, and limiting births—affect the country's total fertility rate. Moroccan Women Delay Their First Birth In Morocco, with a total fertility rate of 3.3, women tend to start their families relatively later in life, limit the number of children they have, and maintain long intervals between births. An interesting feature of family building in Morocco is that 10 percent of ever-married women (15 percent in urban areas) remain childless after 60 months of marriage. This high proportion might be a reflection of the finding that 15 percent of ever-married Moroccan women were using family planning methods before they started childbearing. The high proportion of Moroccan women who used contraceptives before giving birth to their first child is unparalleled in any other Arab country. One possible explanation is that the rising cost of housing forced an increasing number of young couples to begin their married life by living with their parents. Egyptian Women Want Fewer Children Egyptian women also tend to start their families relatively later in life, limit the number of children they have, and maintain long intervals between births, Eltigani reports. The total fertility rate in Egypt is 3.8. Data on the fertility preferences of married women show that desired family size is smaller in Egypt (2.8 children) than it is in Morocco (3.2 children), and that 65 percent of married Egyptian women do not want an additional child, compared with 53 percent of Moroccan women. In Algeria, Childbirth Patterns Are Inconsistent With Contraceptive Use In Algeria the total fertility rate of 4.4 births per woman seems to have been greatly influenced by a delay in the timing of childbearing, rather than by sizable proportions of women limiting childbearing. The limiting and spacing patterns of Algerian women are not consistent with the reported contraceptive prevalence of 51 percent, an inconsistency that throws doubt on the validity of contraceptive prevalence data and the efficiency of use of contraceptive methods. Breastfeeding Helps Slow Childbearing Pace in Sudan In Sudan the total fertility rate of 4.6 is a result of delays in the onset of childbearing, rather than of a conscious effort to limit childbearing. A relatively long period of postpartum amenorrhea (associated with long and intense breastfeeding) slows the pace of childbearing, despite a low prevalence of contraceptive use. In Yemen, Women Marry Younger In Yemen, where the total fertility rate exceeds seven children per woman of reproductive age, women tend to marry and begin childbearing at an early age. They proceed to have many children at a relatively fast pace. Eltigani E. Eltigani is Assistant Research Professor, Social Research Center, American University in Cairo, 113 Kasr El Aini Street, Cairo, Egypt. E-mail: Tigani@aucegypt.edu Other articles, reports, data, Vol. 32 No. 1, March 2001 Articles: Researching Domestic Violence against Women: Methodological and Ethical Considerations, by Mary Ellsberg, Lori Heise, Rodolfo Peña, Sonia Agurto, and Anna Winkvist Is Fertility Declining in Benin? by Virgile Capo-chichi and Fatima Juarez Reports: The Role of Changes in Contraceptive Use in the Decline of Induced Abortion in Turkey, by Pinar Senlet, Siân L. Curtis, Jill Mathis, and Han Raggers Correlates of Sexual Activity and Condom Use among Secondary-school Students in Urban Peru, by Robert J. Magnani, Eric E. Seiber, Emily Zielinski Gutierrez, and Dorina Vereau Sterilization and Financial Penalties Imposed on Registered Peasant Couples, Hebei Province, China, by Rosemary Santana Cooney and Jiali Li Data: Ghana 1998 DHS; Togo 1998 DHS Book Review: Mary Beth Weinberger on Women, Poverty, and Demographic Change, edited by Brígida García For subscription information on Studies in Family Planning, call 212-339-0514, fax 212-755-6052, or email publications@popcouncil.org.
|
