The compositional effects of education and employment on Greek male and female fertility rates during 2000‒2014

Religion and ethnicity interaction as a predictor of male fertility in Nigeria: Evidence from a national representative sample

High fertility constitutes a challenge to men's health conditions in Nigeria, a low-income country. Religion and ethnicity are central to the current Male Fertility (MF) level in Nigeria. This study determined the relationship between Male Fertility (MF) and Religion Ethnic Interaction (REI) amidst other socio-demographic characteristics in Nigeria. Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data, 2018 was used. Men aged 15-59 years [n = 8,786] were sampled using a multi-stage approach. Fertility was measured by the number of Children Ever Born (CEB). REI was generated using the combination of religion and ethnic groups; Hausa/Fulani Muslim, Igbo Christian, Yoruba Christian, and Yoruba Muslim. However, Hausa/Fulani Christians and Igbo Muslims were excluded from this study because a few men in these categories were available in the original sample. Weighted data were analyzed using the Negative Binomial (NB) model (α0.05). The mean age and CEB of the men were 32.9±12.0 years and 3.18±4.4 respectively. The mean CEB among men aged 45-59 years was highest among Hausa/Fulani Muslims (x = 11.57±5.98), but least among Yoruba Christians (x = 4.44±2.67). About 33.4% of the Hausa/Fulani Muslims had had ≥5 children, while 13.7% were reported among the Yoruba Christian men (p<0.001). The fertility Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) was higher among Hausa/Fulani Muslims, but less among Igbo Christians, and Yoruba Christians than Yoruba Muslims. Restricting the analyzed data to only monogamous men revealed no significant differences in the fertility IRR of Yoruba Christians and Yoruba Muslims, but the fertility IRR was significantly higher among the Hausa/Fulani Muslims than Yoruba Muslims. A disparity exists in MF across the REI groups with the Hausa/Fulani Muslims being the major contributors to high MF. Therefore, bridging the gap in access to fertility control measures and programmes that might have resulted from religion and ethnic differences will reduce male fertility level in Nigeria.

Age at First Marriage and Fertility Decline in Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System Site, Northwest Ethiopia: Decomposition Analysis

Background

Fertility decline in Ethiopia has been documented since the 1990s. Amhara National Regional State has recorded the most noticeable fertility decline. However, the specific factors that explain the incipient course of fertility decline in the study area and their relative contributions were not well investigated. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine contributing factors of fertility decline and to assess variations in fertility that can be attributed to both changes in characteristics and reproductive behaviors of women aged 15-49 years between 2008 and 2014 in Dabat Demographic and Health Surveillance Site, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

Cross-sectional censuses were carried out in a Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System site in 2008 and 2014. Data for 4,775 and 10,807 women of reproductive age in 2008 and 2014 were used for the analysis. A Poisson regression model was employed to assess the trends of determinants of fertility, and multivariate decomposition analysis was applied to evaluate observed changes in fertility using data from two consecutive cross-sectional censuses of Dabat HDSS.

Results

Findings indicated that there was a reduction of an average 640.69 births per 1,000 women of reproductive age during 2014 compared to 2008 in the surveillance site (95% CI=-669.5 to -582.4). This overall change in fertility was attributed to both the changing characteristics of women (76%) (95% CI=-524.74 to -453.13) and their reproductive behavior (24%) (95% CI=-224.36 to -79.14). Drivers of the recent fertility decline were increased age at first marriage, a decreased proportion of currently married women, shift in women's birth to later age, and a higher women's educational status.

Conclusion

This study indicated that the overall reduction in fertility was attributed to both changing characteristics of women and their reproductive behavior. Major contributors to the changes in fertility were postponing women's first marriage to a later age and changes in the proportion of currently married women over the study period. Encouraging women to complete at least secondary education is important to increase the age at first marriage and birth, which will in turn accelerate the current fertility transition.

Male-Female Fertility Differentials Across 17 High-Income Countries: Insights From A New Data Resource

Obtaining cross-country comparative perspectives on male fertility has long been difficult, as male fertility is usually less well registered than female fertility. Recent methodological advancements in imputing missing paternal ages at childbirth enable us to provide a new database on male fertility. This new resource covers more than 330 million live births and is based on a consistent and well-tested set of methods. These methods allow us to handle missing information on the paternal age, which is missing for roughly 10% of births. The data resource is made available in the Human Fertility Collection and allows for the first time a comparative perspective on male fertility in high-income countries using high-quality birth register data. We analyze trends in male–female fertility quantum and tempo differentials across 17 high-income countries, dating as back as far as the late 1960s for some countries, and with data available for the majority of countries from the 1980s onward. Using descriptive and counterfactual analysis methods, we find substantial variation both across countries and over time. Related to the quantum we demonstrate that disparities between male and female period fertility rates are driven to a large degree by the interplay of parental age and cohort size differences. For parental age differences at childbirth, we observe a development toward smaller disparities, except in Eastern Europe. This observation fits with expectations based on gender theories. However, variation across countries also seems to be driven by factors other than gender equality.

Transition to first birth during the Great Recession: the case of Greece

Abstract

In this study, we examine the effects of the economic uncertainty of partners on the transition to first birth in Greece before and after the onset of the recent economic crisis. After selecting a sample of childless couples, we applied a random effects model to EU-SILC data for the period 2005–2013. Few studies have focused on the association between economic uncertainty and fertility in Greece considering characteristics of both partners. Even fewer studies have examined panel data in the context of the recent crisis. Our findings show that Greek couples in which both partners are employed, have a high income, or are highly educated are in a more favourable position to have a first child. During the Greek Great Recession, corresponding in our study to the period 2010–2013, the odds of having a first child decreased to half the odds in the 2005–2009 period. The recession period also modified the effect of couples’ characteristics on first childbearing. During the economic crisis, male breadwinner couples were particularly penalized in their transition to have a first child. Surprisingly, couples with at least one temporary worker, usually the woman, were encouraged to have their first child. Implications in terms of gender and social inequality are discussed in the concluding section, and selection processes at play are also discussed.

Keywords

Fertility, Economic uncertainty, Economic recession, Greece

Trends of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Relation to Population Aging in Greece (1956 - 2015)

BACKGROUND

Demographic dynamics and decreasing trends in mortality from chronic diseases are major contributors to the phenomenon of population aging. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and demographic indicators, in Greece the past 60 years.

METHODS

Life Expectancy at birth (LE), population age structure, fertility rates (TFR) and all-cause, CVD mortality rates were retrieved (data provided by the Hellenic Statistical Authority, 1956-2015). In order to test the research hypothesis time-series analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Increasing trends in LE and in the older age (>65 or >80 years) groups' share and declining trends in TFR were recorded. CVD mortality, after an upward course, showed decreasing trends during 1988-2009, accounting for the 96% and 97% increment in LE in men and women respectively. However, newer records (2010-2015) show a new upward trend. The declining trends in TFR were highly associated with the shifts towards the upper part of the population age pyramid.

CONCLUSION

Population aging is a historically unprecedented event that cannot be avoided, deterred or alleviated. Its negative effects act cumulatively with the recent increases in cardiovascular mortality, especially in the light of the ongoing economic crisis which is expected to further exacerbate the existing contrasts. A possible way to successfully cope with the new demographic realities is to unlock an, up till now largely overlooked, opportunity named "healthy aging".

Determinants of change in fertility pattern among women in Uganda during the period 2006-2011

Background

Studies on fertility in Uganda have attributed fertility reduction to a shift in the overall characteristics of women of reproductive age. It is not clear whether the reduction in fertility is due to changing socioeconomic and demographic characteristics over time or stems from the shifts in the reproductive behavior of women. In this paper we examine how fertility rates have changed between 2006 and 2011 and whether these changes have resulted from changing characteristics or from changing reproductive behavior of women.

Methods

Using the 2006 and 2011 Demographic and Health Survey data for Uganda, Multivariate Poisson Decomposition techniques were applied to evaluate observed changes in fertility.

Results

Changing characteristics of women aged 15–49 years significantly contributed to the overall change in fertility from 2006 to 2011. The change observed in older age at first marriage was the major contributor to the changes in fertility. The contribution that can be attributed to changes in reproductive behavior was not significant.

Conclusions

This study finds that the major contribution to the reduction in fertility between 2006 and 2011 was from increased education and delayed marriage among women. Continued improvement in secondary school completion, will lead to older age at first marriage and will continue to be an important factor in Uganda’s declining fertility rates.