The influence of network mortality experience on nonnumeric response concerning expected family size: Evidence from a Nepalese mountain village

Abstract

This article investigates the effects of sociometric network members' self-reported experiences with infant mortality on nonnumeric responses regarding expected family size among women in a small Nepalese community. The hypotheses tested include (1) that uncertainty about child survival, measured as average infant mortality across social networks, increases the likelihood of a nonnumeric response and (2) that this effect will be stronger when there is less variance in infant mortality experience within women a networks. The results suggest that nonnumeric response may be related to uncertainty about mortality derived through social learning.