Does socio-economic inequality hasten fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa?

Clémentine Rossier, University of Geneva
Jamaica Corker, University of Geneva
Bruno D. Schoumaker, Université Catholique de Louvain

This study asks whether in Sub-Saharan Africa couples’ fertility strategies vary not only according to their own social position, as is well known, but also according to socio-economic inequalities in their place of residence. We aim to determine if fertility variations across countries, and by type of residence (urban/rural) that are not explained by social composition are related to variations in the degrees of social inequality in these contexts. Using data from eight countries with four DHS surveys, we examine fertility levels and trends over 17 years and across three distinct categories of social strata. We hypothesize that in addition to compositional effects, localized socio-economic inequality explains differences in fertility levels and trends. We test this separately in urban and rural areas, and by comparing East/West African countries, to see if higher rates of inequality in East African cities explains part of the fertility differentials between these two regions.