Federal Institute for Population Research

Top news

Babyschuhe auf Babybett (refer to: Just fertility postponement or permanent fertility decline?) | Source: © luchschenF/stock.adobe.com

Fertility trends in OECD countriesJust fertility postponement or permanent fertility decline?

Experts discussed the causes of falling birth rates at the OECD webinar on 20 June 2024. BiB Director Prof. Dr. C. Katharina Spieß and BiB Research Director Prof. Dr. Martin Bujard were also present.

Miscellaneous PublicationsDoes women’s agency matter in the formation and realization of fertility desires? An empirical investigation in Egypt and Jordan

Friedrich, Carmen (2023)

BiB Working Paper 7/2023. Wiesbaden: Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung

This study investigates whether the agency of women in Egypt and Jordan influences their personal ideal number of children and their ability to have no more children than they desire. Moreover, a “couple’s perspective” is adopted by examining whether the relationship between women’s agency and unwanted births persists even when the husband desires more children than his wife. The study uses data from the 2015 Egypt Health Issues Survey (EHIS) and the 2017-2018 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS). Poisson regressions are used to estimate the association between agency and fertility desires, and linear probability models are used to estimate the association between agency and the ability to have no more children than desired. The results indicate negative associations between women’s decision-making power and their personal ideal number of children in Egypt, but not in Jordan. In both countries, being involved in decisions about their own healthcare is positively associated with women’s ability to have no more children than desired. However, this positive association is not evident when the husband wants more children than his wife. Among such couples, women’s agency is negatively associated with avoiding unwanted births.

Use of cookies

Cookies help us to provide our services. By using our website you agree that we can use cookies. Read more about our Privacy Policy and visit the following link: Privacy Policy

OK