The Interplay of Mortality, Economics, and Female Empowerment in Fertility Transformations (original) (raw)

Cross-Cultural Research, 2015

Abstract

Theoretical explanations for fertility transformations, such as the demographic transition, have primarily emphasized one of three influences: (a) decreasing mortality rates, (b) economic development, and (c) the transmission of female empowerment norms. Empirical tests suggest that the relative contribution of these factors on predicting fertility varies across populations and time periods. Identification of the factors underlying this variation will ultimately be aided by the pooling of cross-national and time-series data. To this end, the current study combines data from 167 countries across a 40-year time period (i.e., 1970-2010). A fixed effects model is specified to examine how the three factors predict within-country variability in adolescent and total fertility rates. Results indicate that all three variables are associated with fertility patterns in theoretically consistent ways, although the association is often non-linear. In addition, the level of association between eco...

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