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Change and continuity in the fertility of unpartnered women in Latin America, 1980–2010

Author

Listed:
  • Benoît Laplante

    (Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS))

  • Teresa Castro Martín

    (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC))

  • Clara Cortina

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Abstract

Background: Over the last decades, the proportion of children born to unmarried mothers has been increasing in Latin America while unmarried cohabitation has become more common. One would expect the former to be a consequence of the latter and that the proportion of children born to unpartnered mothers remained stable or decreased. However, recent research has shown that the proportion of the total fertility rate (TFR) that is attributable to unpartnered women has, in fact, increased. Objective: This paper aims at understanding the increase in the share of the TFR attributable to unpartnered women in Latin America. Methods: We use census data and the own-children method to measure the evolution of fertility by conjugal union status. We use Poisson regression and a multivariate decomposition technique to examine the respective contributions of changes in the composition of the population and changes in the effects of the characteristics of the population on the changes in fertility. Results: In most countries the proportion of unpartnered women has increased. Their fertility has increased in some countries but decreased in others. In countries where it has decreased, it has done so at a slower pace than the fertility of partnered women, thus increasing the share of fertility that is attributable to unpartnered women. Contribution: Our study suggests that the main driver of the increasing share of fertility attributable to unpartnered women in Latin America is their increasing proportion of the population and that the increase (or slower reduction) of their fertility rates, compared to those of partnered women, is a contributing factor in some countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Benoît Laplante & Teresa Castro Martín & Clara Cortina, 2018. "Change and continuity in the fertility of unpartnered women in Latin America, 1980–2010," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(51), pages 1577-1604.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:38:y:2018:i:51
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2018.38.51
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rodríguez Vignoli, Jorge & Ruiz Salguero, Magda Teresa, 2011. "Familia y nupcialidad en los censos latinoamericanos recientes: una realidad que desborda los datos," Población y Desarrollo 7133, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    2. Castro Marín, Teresa & Cortina Trilla, Clara & Martín García, Teresa & Pardo, Ignacio, 2011. "Maternidad sin matrimonio en América Latina: análisis comparativo a partir de datos censales," Notas de Población, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    3. Benoît Laplante & Teresa Castro Martín & Clara Cortina & Ana Laura Fostik, 2016. "The contributions of childbearing within marriage and within consensual union to fertility in Latin America, 1980-2010," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(29), pages 827-844.
    4. Daniel A. Powers & Hirotoshi Yoshioka & Myeong-Su Yun, 2011. "mvdcmp: Multivariate decomposition for nonlinear response models," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 11(4), pages 556-576, December.
    5. Albert Esteve & Joan García-Román & Ron Lesthaeghe, 2012. "The Family Context of Cohabitation and Single Motherhood in Latin America," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 38(4), pages 707-727, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. John Bongaarts & John Casterline, 2022. "Extramarital fertility in low- and middle-income countries," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(3), pages 59-72.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    women; unmarried mothers; nonmarital fertility; unmarried cohabitation; consensual union; Latin America; census; decomposition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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