Domestic Violence, Family Structure and Women's Childbearing Preference: Evidence from Sri Lanka

Abstract

Over the past decades, most of the countries in the world have undergone unprecedented demographic changes, such as childbearing preferences. This has been a basis for a large array of research; however, studies so far have focused a little on the impacts of domestic violence and family structure on childbearing preferences which is the overall aim of this study. A logistic regression model was developed using a large data set (8,776) that represents different residential sectors (urban, rural, and estate) in Sri Lanka. Results indicate that women in an extended family structure are more likely to prefer another child than women in a nuclear family. The disaggregated analysis indicates the heterogeneity in childbearing preferences. Precisely, the experience of domestic violence shows a negative impact in rural and urban sectors. The findings suggest providing appropriate programs on reducing family violence, alleviating poverty and encouraging women's education, to achieve healthy population growth and SDGs.