Social Determinants of Low Fertility in Brazil

Abstract

An increasing number of developing countries are experiencing below replacement fertility rates. Although the factors associated with low fertility in developed countries have been widely explored in the literature, studies of low fertility in middle- and low-income countries continue to be rare. To help fill this gap, Brazil was used as a case study to assess whether human development, gender equality and the ability of mothers with young children to work are associated with the likelihood of married or cohabiting women to have a child. For this purpose, multilevel logistic regressions were estimated using the 1991, 2000 and 2010 Brazilian Demographic Censuses. It was found that human development was negatively associated with fertility in the three periods analysed. Gender equality and the ability of mothers with young children to work were positively associated with the odds of having higher order births in Brazil in 2000 and 2010. In 1991, these variables were not associated with higher order births, and gender equality was negatively associated with first births. The positive association found in 2000 and 2010 may constitute a reversal of the relationship that in all likelihood prevailed earlier in the demographic transition when gender equality was most likely negatively correlated with fertility levels.

Fertility Differentials by Education in Brazil: From the Conclusion of Fertility to the Onset of Postponement Transition

“…Official Brazilian census bureau estimations corrected by P/F are 2.4 and 1.9 in 2000 and 2010, respectively. The adjusted TFR using vital registration is 1.76 in 2010, and the unadjusted TFR calculated by the same authors directly from the microdata is 1.60 (Cruz Castanheira ). These authors recommend caution in the use of the Brass P/F method when declining fertility takes place together with the onset of fertility postponement.…”

“…Our TFR calculation underestimates the true value because it lacks a correction factor. We opted for this procedure because there is no consensus on the correction factor resulting from the dramatic fertility decline in Brazil in the age groups of 15–19 and 20–24 (Cruz Castanheira ).…”

Psychological and Sociodemographic Predictors of Fertility Intention among Childbearing-Aged Women in Hamadan, West of Iran: An Application of the BASNEF Model

“…From the demographic perspective, fertility and childbearing are recognized as one of the most important determinants of population fluctuation, such that the demographic policies in most countries revolve around reducing or increasing fertility [2]. Childbearing is an important phenomenon in demographic change and the basis of sustainable development for countries with replacement fertility levels [3]. Reducing childbearing, in addition to having an impact on the population growth rate, can also affect the composition and structure of the population, such that there is a gradual shift from a younger to older age structure [4].…”

Completeness of birth registration in Brazil: an overview of methods and data sources

“…First, Brazil is the largest country in Latin America, with a population of more than 200 million inhabitants, and very heterogeneous in terms of regions (IBGE 2018 ). Second, we argue that Brazil is a good example due to the improvements in data quality observed in recent years (Hunter and Sugiyama 2018 ), followed by a rapid fertility decline across the whole country in recent decades (Castanheira and Kohler 2017 ). A third reason is the availability of different data sources for estimating fertility (Cavenaghi and Alves 2016 ) and the existence of estimates produced by the national statistical office and other researchers.…”