Differences In Fertility Research Articles

Parental leave benefit and differential fertility responses: evidence from a German reform

This paper examines the causal effects of a major change in the German parental leave benefit scheme on fertility. I use the unanticipated reform of 2007 to assess how a move from a means tested to an earnings-related benefit affects higher-order births. By using data from the Mikrozensus, I find that the reform significantly affected the timing of higher-order births in the first 5 years after a last birth. Overall, mothers “just” eligible for the new benefit for the current birth initially reduce subsequent childbearing and extend birth spacing, compared to mothers “just” ineligible. However, by the end of the third year, mothers start to compensate for the earlier losses. The negative effects are largely driven by the low-income mothers, who are now worse-off and do not display any catch-up effects. The differential fertility responses along the income distribution are in line with the heterogeneous structure of the economic incentives.

Levels, trends and differentials of teenage fertility in Nepal: assessing universal coverage of adolescence sexual and reproductive health to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5 in 2030

Introduction: Adolescence is a transition period from childhood to adulthood and is critically important especially for teenage girls as adolescent birth rate has remained high despite declining fertility in Nepal. Consequently, adolescents are more likely to drop out from the school thus losing the potential earning and leadership opportunities, which in turn, hampers their overall well-being. Thus it was included in the Millennium Development Goals and also in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Methods: The 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 Nepal Demographic Health and Survey (NDHS) datasets were used. Single age birth rates were derived using births histories whereas age-specific fertility rates of 15-19 years women were derived using Poisson regression. Regression-based standard errors and its confidence intervals were used to test the levels and trends statistically. Results: The adolescent birth rate was higher among 18-19 years than 15-17 years old females. Teenage fertility rate was 81 in 2011: second highest in South Asia. Urban adolescent birth rates were significantly different from rural areas and country for all the surveys. Adolescent birth rate was significantly lower than the national estimates for women with some secondary and beyond secondary levels of education. Eastern and Western Development regions had lower teenage fertility compared to other regions of Nepal. Conclusion: Nepal needs to use best practices and approaches from around the globe to systematically reduce its high teenage fertility as aspired by the Target 6, Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be implemented between 2016-2030.

Demographic projections by religion and education in India

Studying religion jointly with education allows one to produce more precise projections of the size and structure of religious communities. India’s religious groups are characterized by large differences in their education and fertility levels. Among those with secondary or more education, there tends to be low variation in fertility, while for those without any education, fertility is high and varies substantially. For India, if fertility differentials were constant and there was no increase in educational enrolment, the Indian population would grow from 846 million in 2000 to more than 2.3 billion in 2050, while the Hindu population would change from 80.2% to 76.4% and the proportion of Muslims would rise from 13.4% to 19%. If fertility converges and education levels increases, the population would increase to 1.7 billion by 2050, with 78.2% Hindus and 16.5% Muslims.

Intergenerational Transmission of Education in India: Evidence from a Nationwide Survey

The intergenerational transmission of education has been investigated extensively in social science research. The existing literature shows that none of the studies in India related the process of partner selection and differential fertility with the intergenerational transmission of education. Here, we examined the timing of marriage and childbearing along with the probability of partner selection, according to education of women and how these processes lead to heterogeneity in educational attainment of children. The educational attainment of children was estimated by fitting the estimated marriage probabilities and children ever born in the intergenerational transmission model. The results were replicated in different random samples to examine its validity. The study found that higher educated women marry late, have fewer children, and marry men with higher or equal education. Further, the results indicate that education of women is a more significant predictor than education of husband in reducing average number of children born to couples. The findings confirm that children attain higher education than their parents, and better educated mothers do not discriminate between their children to provide higher education. These findings reinforce the significance of government initiatives to provide incentives to families with higher educated girls to ensure better education of the next generation.

A Study on Fertility Differentials between Koreans and International Marriage Families

A Study on Fertility Differentials between Koreans and International Marriage Families

Educational Mobility Across Three Generations of American Women

We analyze the intergenerational transmission of education in a three-generation sample of women from the US. The studied cohorts were born between the early 1910s and the early 1980s, a period of transformational increases in female educational attainment, making this an especially interesting context in which to study multigenerational inequality. We find strong three-generation educational persistence, with the association between the education of grandmothers and their granddaughters approximately two-times stronger than would be expected under the type of Markovian transmission process that has been assumed in much of the existing two-generation mobility literature. To better understand these findings we outline a simple theoretical transmission structure that is consistent with strong three-generation effects, assess various mechanisms through which grandparents may directly influence the education of their grandchildren, and investigate the extent to which core demographic processes such as differential fertility impact multigenerational educational persistence.

Is human mating for height associated with fertility? Results from a British National Cohort Study.

Very few studies have investigated whether spousal similarity for height is related to fertility. This study examined the relationship between mating for height and fertility after correction for spousal age, social class, education, and region. The data used were collected as part of the British National Child Development Study and 6,535 husband-wife pairs for whom data were available on measured height, spousal age, education, social class, region, and the number of children were studied. Fertility varied between the regions with the highest fertility in Scotland. Fertility tended to increase from more to less educated and from higher to lower social classes in both sexes. These relationships remained significant after correction for mean age. A negative association between husband's height in relation to fertility was noted as well as the negative and the quadratic term for wife's height. Both the linear as well as the quadratic effects of parental height difference were significantly related to fertility, but after removing the effects of mean age, age difference and mean height these effects disappeared. Analysis of region, mean age, social class, education, height, and differences in age, social class, education, and height together revealed that 32.4% of variation in fertility was explained but only mean age, mean social class and mean height and difference in social class remained significant. The results did not provide any evidence that differential fertility was associated with spousal height difference after taking into account age, social class, education and region.

FERTILITY DIFFERENTIALS AMONG SERBIAN JEWS

Recent studies tend to validate the important role played by culture and especially religion in fertility behaviours. This paper investigates a link between religiosity and fertility among Serbian Jewish populations, namely the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews. It is found that among Serbian Jews, in spite of general low levels of fertility, religiousness (measured by time devoted to religious activities) and ethnic origin contribute to the fertility differentials. This paper sets out to explore the relationship between religiosity and fertility among Jews in Serbia and whether religiosity has contributed to the fertility differential between the main branches of the Serbian Jewry, namely the Sephardim and Ashkenazim.

Parental Leave Benefit and Differential Fertility Responses: Evidence from a German Reform

This paper examines the causal effects of a major change in the German parental leave benefit scheme on fertility. I use the unanticipated reform in 2007 to assess how a move from a means-tested to an earnings-related benefit affects higher-order births. By using the German Mikrozensus 2010, I find that the reform significantly affected the timing of higher-order births in the first three years. Overall, mothers initially reduce childbearing, thereby extending their birth spacing, but eventually fully compensate for the earlier losses. The negative effects are largely driven by lowest-income mothers who also do not display any catch-up effects. I also find a substantial heterogeneity inWest and East Germany. Because the reform aimed at parents with strong labor market attachment, the positive effects in the East suggest that the economic incentives essentially perform well, but their impact may be hampered by unfavorable institutional and cultural conditions in the West.

The Population Level Impacts of Differential Fertility Behavior of Parents of Children with Autism

The Population Level Impacts of Differential Fertility Behavior of Parents of Children with Autism

Does the Financial Burden of Having Children Explain Fertility Differentials Across Countries? Evidence from Satisfaction Data

Does the Financial Burden of Having Children Explain Fertility Differentials Across Countries? Evidence from Satisfaction Data

The End of Secularisation through Demography? Projections of Spanish Religiosity

This article presents the first projection, to our knowledge, of the intensity of religiosity in a population, which has a strong bearing on the critical question of the religious future of Europe. Spain has, in recent decades, simultaneously experienced rapid religious decline and marked demographic change through high immigration and declining fertility. To investigate future trends, we carry out population projections by religion and religiosity to the year 2050. We find that both fertility and immigration increase the share of the highly religious, as the more religious tend to have more children and immigrants tend to be more religious than non-immigrants. The non-religious population grows because people switch from religion to no-religion and because they are younger. Our findings suggest that in the longer term (2050), there may be growth in the no-religion population, a decline in the share of highly religious Christians, and moderate development of low religious Christians. The Muslim population would substantially increase, unless there is an end to migration and fertility differentials.

Immigrant Fertility in Germany: The Role of Culture

This paper focuses on the role of home country’s fertility culture in shaping immigrants’ fertility. I use the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) to study completed fertility of first-generation immigrants who arrived from different countries and in different years. The variation in total fertility rates (TFRs) across countries and over time serves as a proxy for cultural changes. By using a linear fixed-effects approach, I find that women from countries with high TFRs have significantly more children than women from countries with low TFRs. I also demonstrate that this positive relationship is attenuated by potential selection that operates towards the destination country. In addition, home country’s TFRs explain a large proportion of fertility differentials between immigrants and German natives. The results suggest that home country’s culture affects immigrants’ long-run outcomes, thereby supporting the socialization hypothesis.

Opportunity for natural selection among five population groups of Manipur, North East India.

Opportunity for natural selection among five population groups of Manipur in comparison with other North East Indian population has been studied. Crow's index as well as Johnston and Kensinger's index for natural selection were calculated based on differential fertility and mortality. The mortality component was found to be lower compared to fertility component in all the populations which may attribute to comparatively improved and easily accessible health care facilities. However, different selection pressures, artificial and natural, seem to be influencing the selection intensity through induced abortion and spontaneous abortion among the two non-tribal migrant groups: Bamon and Muslims, respectively. This study highlights the probable interaction of artificial and natural selection in determining the evolutionary fate of any population group.

Is Son Preference in India a Phenomenon among Hindus Alone? Analyzing Ideal Preferences and Fertility Behaviors

While research on son preference in India and on fertility differentials between religious groups is well-known, we only have indirect estimates of differences in son preference between religious groups. This paper examines data from two waves of the National Family and Health Survey, 1998-99 and 2005-06 to determine to what extent son preference differs between Hindus and Muslims, the two largest religious groups in India. Using women’s self-reported ideal sex composition of children and actual fertility behaviors, this study finds that Muslims have lower son preference compared to Hindus. We find strong evidence for sex selection among Hindus during births when the family previously has only daughters. This however does not occur among Muslims. The research suggests that religious identity, beliefs and practices especially among the Hindus may be a key cultural explanation for the persistence of son preference in India.

Multistate projections by level of education for Portugal, 2011–2031

Educational attainment is an attribute that leads to a great distinction between the members of a population, including when considering their health and well-being, which are features to pursue within an aging society. The aim of this work was to produce demographic projections for the Portuguese population by sex, age group and level of educational attainment, for the period 2011–2031. Considering fertility, mortality and migration differentials by level of education, the population was projected using the multistate cohort-component method with a block Leslie matrix. Two scenarios were considered, one where educational attainment before 2011 remains constant and another in which educational attainment will follow the trend observed over the last decade, being the trend in the state proportion modelled using continuation ratio models. The results show an increase in the proportion of individuals who complete higher educational levels in almost all age groups of both sexes. Among women, only 13.6 % had completed some level of higher education in 2011, a figure that will rise to approximately 23.4 % in 2031, whereas among men this value was only 9.7 % and will also rise by 2031, reaching 15.5 %. We can expect the proportion of people with higher educational levels to continue to rise as the education of younger cohorts seems to evolve positively. This work will be particularly useful to study how the aging population and the rising levels of education can contribute to the planning and monitoring of public policies, although these findings can also be used in other research contexts.

Immigrant Fertility in Germany: The Role of Culture

This paper focuses on the role of home country’s fertility culture in shaping immigrants’ fertility. I use the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) to study completed fertility of first-generation immigrants who arrived from different countries and in different years. The variation in total fertility rates (TFRs) across countries and over time serves as a proxy for cultural changes. By using a linear fixed-effects approach, I find that women from countries with high TFRs have significantly more children than women from countries with low TFRs. I also demonstrate that this positive relationship is attenuated by potential selection that operates towards the destination country. In addition, home country’s TFRs explain a large proportion of fertility differentials between immigrants and German natives. The results suggest that home country’s culture affects immigrants’ long-run outcomes, thereby supporting the socialization hypothesis. <bold>Zusammenfassung</bold> Diese Studie befasst sich mit dem Geburtenverhalten von Migrantinnen der ersten Generation. Unter Verwendung der Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) wird die endgültige Kinderzahl der Zuwanderinnen als abhängige Variable und die kulturelle Prägung aus dem Heimatland als Determinante modelliert. Zur Messung der “Fertilitätskultur” wird als Proxy die mittlere Differenz zwischen der zusammengefassten Geburtenziffer (total fertility rate – TFR) des Ursprungslandes und der von Deutschland zum Zeitpunkt der Migration verwendet. Die Schätzergebnisse eines linearen Fixed-Effects-Ansatzes zeigen, dass Fertilitätskultur einen signifikanten Anteil der Fertilitätsunterschiede zwischen Einheimischen und Migranten erklärt und positiv mit der endgültigen Kinderzahl der Migrantinnen korreliert. Ergänzende Analysen legen nahe, dass der positive Zusammenhang durch potenzielle Selektion tendenziell unterschätzt wird. Die Befunde unterstreichen die sogenannte Sozialisationshypothese, welche besagt, dass die kulturelle Prägung des Ursprungslandes das Verhalten von Migranten dauerhaft beeinflusst. <italic>JEL Classification: J13, J15, Z10, Z13</italic>

Understanding Subgroup Fertility Differentials in Nigeria.

As Nigeria enters a period of potentially rapid economic growth due to the increase in the working age population, it is critical to understand why fertility remains so high there. Nigeria's current total fertility rate (TFR) of 5.5 (0.2 fewer children per woman than the TFR of 5.7 reported in both the 2003 and 2008 NDHS surveys) is projected to continue to decline, but questions remain about whether this decline is inevitable and whether it will continue apace. Regardless, Nigeria's population growth will continue through at least 2050 due to simple population momentum. Other challenges are the persistent and vast fertility differentials; many groups remain above replacement fertility across various social and geographical sub-units of the country. Using data primarily from the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), as well as from 2003 and 2008 surveys, we document that many population subgroups and zones of the country are finally beginning to show signs of fertility convergence and decline. Nevertheless, some population subgroups still have higher fertility, especially: Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri women, women who live in the North West geopolitical zone, Muslim and traditionalist women, women who live in poor households, women who have lower levels of education, women who are opposed to family planning, women who marry early, and women who give birth early. In order for the projected decline in the TFR to continue, these subgroups must be highlighted, understood, and targeted with fertility- and poverty-reducing interventions.

Many a slip: dissecting the causes of reproductive isolation in two species ofTegenariaspiders (Agelenidae)

Key to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the process of speciation is the determination of the nature of the barriers to gene flow between related taxa. Species that show zero gene flow in sympatry or parapatry are of little use in this respect. In the present study, we used two closely-related species of large house spider, Tegenaria saeva and Tegenaria gigantea, which hybridize to a limited extent along a natural contact zone in southern Britain. The species are apparently indistinguishable with respect to habitat utilization and phenology. Laboratory crosses using individuals from both allopatric and parapatric populations suggest that, although male and female courtship, as well as web and cuticular-borne pheromones, are conserved between the species, mechanical difficulties are experienced during interspecific copulation. Copulation bouts are, on average, significantly shorter during interspecific matings because of these difficulties, and are probably not sufficiently long for effective sperm transfer to take place. In the two cases of successful interspecific crossing, and in subsequent F1 and backcross generations, there are few indications of differential fertility, fecundity or viability, suggesting little post-zygotic incompatibility. The high success rate of crosses between F1 hybrids and both parental species underlines the principally mechanical barrier to gene flow between these taxa. Once this is breached, there appears to be little impediment to continuing introgression, which could, in some geographical areas at least, ultimately lead to the fusion of the two species. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 113, 355–367.

Male fertility in Greece

AbstractBACKROUNDMore than downplayed, the role of men in the demographic analysis of reproduction has been entirely neglected. However, male fertility can be an important issue for exploring how economic and employment uncertainties relate to fertility and family dynamics.OBJECTIVEThis paper intends to study fertility variations over time, relying solely on data referring to father's socio-demographic characteristics; in particular, their age, education level, and employment status.METHODSWe use a combination of Labor Force Survey and Demographic Statistics data on population and Vital Statistics on births to estimate male fertility indicators and fertility differentials by education level and employment status, for the period 1992-2011 in Greece. In addition, over-time developments in male TFR are separated into structural (education-specific and employment-specific distributions) and behavioral (fertility, per se) changes.RESULTSWe find that the male fertility level is declining, the fertility pattern is moving into higher ages, and the reproduction period for men is getting shorter. From 1992 up to 2008, changes in male fertility were mostly driven by behavioral rather than compositional factors. However, the decline of male fertility over the period of economic recession (2008-2011) is largely attributed to the continuous decrease in the proportions of employed men.CONCLUSIONSThe study suggests that male fertility merits further exploration. In particular, years of economic downturn and countries where household living standards are mostly associated with male employment, a father's employability is likely to emerge as an increasingly important factor of fertility outcomes.(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)1. IntroductionWhen it comes to fertility research, demographic analysis is conventionally female- oriented. Most theories developed to detect and explain changes in human fertility are not gender-specific, for they rarely, if ever, examine male and female behavior separately, as is the case in mortality and migration research. Fertility analysis focuses largely on mother's socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, race, marital and employment status or level of education, in order to identify explanatory factors behind differing fertility rates and overtime variations. Significantly less attention has been given to men; a father's income has for long been the only male feature involved in relevant analysis. Consequently, all fertility indicators are female-dominated: fertility rates, whether general, total or age-specific, relate living births to the age-sex group at risk. Therefore, all main fertility measures are in fact female fertility measures. More than downplayed, the role of men in the demographic analysis of reproduction has been entirely neglected.A number of explanations have been put forward to defend this state of affairs. Concentrating on women is primarily justified by biological reasons. Unlike reproduction among males, female fecundity is conditioned by strictly defined age limitations, as well as by social and cultural influences on post-natal practices (such as breastfeeding and abstinence). In that sense, compared with male fertility, female fertility is regarded as a more decisive factor of population's reproduction. Though biological reasons are put to the fore, methodological difficulties and data quality issues are equally often evoked to explain why men have for so long been left out of fertility analysis. Birth-registration certificates do not always include data on both parents, even in more developed countries (Rendall et al. 1999); out-of-wedlock birth statistics usually omit information about fathers (Greene and Biddlecom 2000). Birth data on women are considered to be not only easier to collect but also more accurate, women being more directly involved in the whole childbearing procedure. …