Timing of reproductive events among host community and Syrian refugee women in Turkey

Abstract

The 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey presents a unique opportunity to understand the timing of reproductive events (i.e. menarche, first marriage, first, second and subsequent births, and menopause) of Syrian refugee women in direct comparison to host community women in Turkey. The results of our analysis indicate that, with the exception of menarche, Syrian women experience each of these events earlier than host community women experience them in Turkey. On average, a Syrian woman enters her reproductive period at age 13.8, gets married at age 18.7 and has the first, second and third births at ages 21.0, 22.7 and 25.4, respectively. The reproductive life span of Syrian women (28 years) from menarche to menopause is 6 years shorter than that of host community women (34 years). Cox regression results demonstrate that the reproductive trajectories of Syrian women are closely linked with their migration trajectories. Syrian women who experienced reproductive events after migrating to Turkey tend to delay the timing of those events until later stages of life. Such delays, in our opinion, can be explained by the destructive impact of armed conflict on Syrian refugee women in the recent past, and lesser social pressure in Turkey for women to marry and reproduce.