Family demography in sub-saharan Africa: A systematic review of family research

Odimegwu, Clifford; Wet, Nicole De; Adedini, Sunday A.; Nzimande, Nompumelelo; Appunni, Sathiyasusuman; Dube, Tanyaradzwa

doi:10.11564/31-1-1023

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…In Eastern and in Southern Africa too, cohabitation has been increasing (Moore & Govender, 2013). Moreover, seasonal labour migrants can found a "little house" or a second family with children in the places of destination (Odimegwa et al, 2017). High separation rates lead, furthermore, to large numbers of single-mother families and to more out-fostering of children.…”

Section: Sub-saharan Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

The second demographic transition, 1986–2020: sub-replacement fertility and rising cohabitation—a global update

Lesthaeghe¹

2020

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165

108

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The article considers the evolution of two “Second Demographic Tradition” (SDT) core characteristics: fertility postponement and the rise of cohabitation, with particular attention being given to the first two decades of the new century. It can be considered as the sequel to the concise overview of the SDT published earlier in the US Proceedings of the National Academy (PNAS) (Lesthaeghe, 2014).In the first section, three optimistic views concerning the evolution of fertility are considered: (i) rises due to the end of postponement, (ii) rises connected with advancing human development and (iii) rises associated with advancing gender equality. The focus in this section is mainly but not exclusively on the European experience and its large degree of variation in fertility patterns. It is argued that these three optimistic predictions of sustained fertility rises are mainly based on observations prior to 2010, with too much weight being given to four Nordic countries and too little to other Western European countries with very similar fertility levels. However, these expectations have been thwarted during the second decade, even in the presence of advances in human development and/or gender equality. Hence, the original SDT prediction of 1986 of sustained sub-replacement fertility still holds after 35 years. We expect this to continue during the third decade as well. Furthermore, single-factor explanations are not likely to do justice to far more intricate situations that are responsive to varying structural and ideational influences.In the second section, the evolution of cohabitation is traced in Europe, the USA and Canada, the Latin American countries, three East Asian populations and selected sub-Saharan cases. At the onset, cohabitation can start either from a SDT basis among the better educated or among the poorer classes following a pattern of disadvantage (POD). It is argued that the feature of cohabitation spreads rapidly among all social classes and across all education groups and that in the process of increasing cohabitation, the POD versus SDT argument loses its significance. On a global scale, the rise in cohabitation is contingent on two dimensions: (i) contrasting historical patterns of kinship organisation, including the position of women, and (ii) further advances of the “ethics revolution”, indicating the growing dominance of individual autonomy over traditional societal norms. As a result, no breakthroughs in the near future are expected in countries with a Muslim or Hindu tradition in which no such major cultural shifts have occurred so far.

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Section: Sub-saharan Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

The second demographic transition, 1986–2020: sub-replacement fertility and rising cohabitation—a global update

Lesthaeghe¹

2020

Genus

165

108

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“…First, our descriptive findings established marriage as a universal phenomenon in Mali, Niger and Norther Nigeria, with a predominantly majority of respondents being currently married, compared to as high as two-fifths of respondents being currently unmarried in Morocco. Given that childbearing is greatly linked with marriage, and childrearing is much expected in the context of marriage in most Middle/West Africa (Desai, 1992;Hayase & Liaw, 1997;C. O. Odimegwu et al, 2017), universality of marriage among women aged 15-49 in this sub-region plays a significant role in shaping the observed divergent fertility pattern in the selected Middle/West Africa countries as compared to those in the Maghreb.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergence in fertility levels and patterns of muslim-majority countries of maghreb and middle/West Africa

2021

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There has been a divergence in the pace of fertility decline between the Muslim-dominated countries of Maghreb and those of Middle/West Africa (despite having similar religious beliefs, which studies have implicated as a major determinant of fertility behaviours). While the Maghreb countries have total fertility rate ranging between 2 and 3, it ranges between 6 and 7 in Muslim-majority countries of Middle/West Africa. Factors other than religion seem to be responsible for this divergent pattern. Evidence is sparse on this. This paper provides empirical evidence on factors influencing divergent pattern in fertility levels of selected Muslimdominated countries of Maghreb and Middle/West Africa. Based on availability of recent data, this paper drew on Demographic and Health Survey data of three Middle/West Africa countries-Mali (2013-14), Niger (2012) and Northern Nigeria (2013); and two North African countries-Egypt (2014) and Morocco (2003-04). Relationships were explored using Poisson regression models that adjusted for religion and women characteristics. Findings showed that age at first marriage, age at first birth, contraceptive use, child mortality, plurality of marriage and women education are the major drivers of divergence in fertility patterns of the selected countries in both sub-regions. Differences in proximate determinants of fertility ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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“…According to a study conducted in the USA, lower education, weak religious values, and poor backgrounds were found to be inducing factors in premarital cohabitation [5]. Similarly, socio-demographic factors, including age, level of education, religion, wealth index, and residence place, showed a significant association with premarital cohabitation, according to a systematic review conducted in SSA [4]. Another demographic study conducted in East Africa identified age, religion, educational status, occupational status, wealth index, and Ugandan women as determinants of premarital cohabitation [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent decades, premarital cohabitation has become more common around the world [3]. It has been extensively examined from a demographic standpoint in various parts of the world, such as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe, where it has been observed to function as an alternative or stepping stone to marriage [4]. In the United States of America (USA), about 70% of couples cohabited before their marriage [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modeling determinants of time-to-premarital cohabitation among Ethiopian women using parametric shared frailty models

Gobena,

Gezimu,

Mekebo

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Background Premarital cohabitation is rampant and currently practiced worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a known cause of marital instability and divorce. It is also associated with intimate partner violence and harms the psychology of children in later life. However, in Ethiopia, there has been limited attention given to premarital cohabitation. Objective The main goal of this study was to identify the determinants of time-to-premarital cohabitation among Ethiopian women. Methods The 2016 EDHS data was used to achieve the study’s goal. The survival information of 15683 women was analyzed based on their age at premarital cohabitation. The regional states of the women were used as a clustering effect in the models. Exponential, Weibull, and Log-logistic baseline models were used to identify factors associated with age at premarital cohabitation utilizing socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Results The median age of premarital cohabitation was found to be 18 years. Surprisingly, 72.7% of participants were cohabitated in the study area. According to the Log-logistic-Gamma shared frailty model, place of residence, occupation, educational status, and being pregnant were found to be factors determining the time to premarital cohabitation. Conclusion Premarital cohabitation among Ethiopian women was higher compared to women in the sub-Saharan Africa and East Africa. Place of residence, occupation, educational status, and being pregnant were found to be factors determining the time for premarital cohabitation. Therefore, we recommend the concerned bodies set out strategies to educate women about the influencing factors and dangers of premarital cohabitation.

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Family demography in sub-saharan Africa: A systematic review of family research

Cited by 5 publications

References 74 publications

The second demographic transition, 1986–2020: sub-replacement fertility and rising cohabitation—a global update

The second demographic transition, 1986–2020: sub-replacement fertility and rising cohabitation—a global update

Divergence in fertility levels and patterns of muslim-majority countries of maghreb and middle/West Africa

Modeling determinants of time-to-premarital cohabitation among Ethiopian women using parametric shared frailty models

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