War, peace, and fertility in Angola

National independence, women's political participation, and life expectancy in Norway

This study investigates the role of national independence and women's political participation on population health using historical lifespan data from Norway. We use time-series methods to analyze data measuring the actual length of time lived by Norwegian birth cohorts spanning a 61 year period surrounding the political emancipation of Norway from Sweden in 1905 and the establishment of a Norwegian monarchy in 1906. The use of a discrete, historical event improves our ability to interpret the population health effects of national independence and women's political participation as causal. We find a large and significant positive effect on the lifespan of Norwegian females born in the 1906 cohort. Interestingly, the effect does not extend to all living females during the Norwegian drive toward sovereignty. We conclude that the beneficial effects were likely conferred through intrauterine biological transfers and/or neonatal investments specific to the first year of life.

Family Contexts and Schooling Disruption among Orphans in Post-Genocide Rwanda

This study examines the relationship between orphan status and schooling disruption in post-genocide Rwanda. The results indicate that while non-orphans have more favorable schooling outcomes in two-parent than in single-parent families, the reverse is true among Rwandan orphans. In single-mother households, paternal orphans, i.e. orphans with only a living mother, have better outcomes than their orphan and non-orphan counterparts. In contrast, paternal orphans have worse outcomes than other children in two-parent households, especially in households headed by males. Maternal orphans are more likely to experience schooling disruptions than non-orphans regardless of family structure. The maternal-orphan disadvantage is nevertheless greater in female-headed than in male-headed households. As expected, non-related orphans are more disadvantaged than orphans related to their household heads. However, non-related orphans have a greater disadvantage in two-parent than in single-parent households. The results also suggest that within households, the provision of childcare to children below schooling age is an impediment to orphan's schooling. These impediments are, however, greater for double-orphans than paternal or maternal orphans.

The Phoenix population: demographic crisis and rebound in Cambodia

The study of mortality crises provides an unusual and valuable perspective on the relationship between mortality and fertility changes, a relationship that has puzzled demographers for decades. In this article, we combine nationally representative survey and demographic-surveillance system data to study fertility trends around the time of the Khmer Rouge (KR) regime, under which 25% of the Cambodian population died. We present the first quantitative evidence to date that attests to a one-third decline of fertility during this regime, followed by a substantial "baby boom" after the fall of the KR. Further analyses reveal that the fertility rebound was produced not only by a two-year marriage bubble but also by a surge in marital fertility that remained for nearly a decade above its precrisis level. Our results illustrate the potential influence of mortality on fertility, which may be more difficult to identify for more gradual mortality declines. To the extent that until recently, Cambodian fertility appears to fit natural fertility patterns, our findings also reinforce recent qualifications about the meaning of this core paradigm of demographic analysis.

Necessidade insatisfeita por métodos anticoncepcionais no Brasil

No Brasil, a prevalência do uso de contraceptivo é elevada e a taxa de fecundidade total está quase no nível de reposição. No entanto, ainda há um percentual significativo de gravidezes indesejadas, abortos provocados e mulheres que não querem mais ter filhos ou querem tê-los mais tarde, porém não estão usando métodos contraceptivos - ou seja, mulheres com necessidade insatisfeita por anticoncepção. O objetivo deste estudo é apresentar a magnitude da necessidade insatisfeita por método anticoncepcional entre mulheres unidas no Brasil, assim como identificar os fatores a ela associados. A fonte de dados utilizada nesse estudo é proveniente da Pesquisa Nacional Sobre Demografia e Saúde, realizada no Brasil em 1996. Para identificar os determinantes associados com a necessidade insatisfeita por anticoncepção foi utilizado o modelo multinomial, em que a variável resposta tem três categorias: necessidade para espaçar, necessidade para limitar e sem necessidade. A análise empreendida ao longo deste trabalho revelou uma forte associação entre as variáveis relativas ao ciclo de vida das mulheres (idade e número de filhos) e a necessidade insatisfeita por métodos anticoncepcionais. Com relação às variáveis socioeconômicas destaca-se a elevada probabilidade de necessidade insatisfeita de limitar entre as mulheres da região Nordeste. Observou-se ainda que mulheres com maior nível de escolaridade são menos propensas a apresentar uma necessidade insatisfeita de limitar. A análise aponta para a necessidade de adequação e universalização dos serviços de planejamento familiar com vistas a um atendimento integral à saúde da mulher.