Expanding notions of social reproduction: parents and young people’s sexual reproductive health behavior

Isaacc Yeboah, Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS)

Abstract Building on the evidence that parent, family structure and child characteristics reflect broader emotional and social behavioral problems of children, the study investigated (1) association between young people and their sexual reproductive health behavior, and (2) how parents’ social characteristics and family structure directly affect the sexual reproductive health behavior of their children. The sample for this study was obtained from the second round of EDULINK 2011 Urban Health and Poverty Project data set. The sample consist of young people aged 15-24 years who had never married. Regression analyses include controls for parent, family structure and child characteristics. Young people’s characteristics such as age, sex, educational level, living arrangements is associated with reproductive health sexual behavior. The study found that the influence of parent is contingent on children and parent’s (i.e the father’s) educational level. This result point to the need for making education accessible and affordable especially among the poor and marginalized societies.