This event is hosted by NYU Sociology, Center for Advancement in Social Science Research (CASSR) and the Population Center (Pop. Center).
Speaker: John Casterline, Robert T. Lazarus Professor in Population Studies and Director of the Institute for Population Research, Ohio State University.
This is an examination of trends in unwanted fertility in low- and middle-income countries (78 countries, 358 surveys). We employ multiple measures of unwanted fertility, including a new measure that conditions on exposure to unwanted fertility. All three measures are derived from responses to the standard prospective preference item (“do you want another child?”). Country-specific trends are obtained, and regional patterns derived. We find that while unwanted fertility has declined according to all three measures, the trajectory, pace, and amount of change differs by measure. In particular, the incidence of unwanted births among recent cohorts of children has declined far less than one might guess given parents’ increased success in avoiding unwanted births. We consider whether, on the matter of unwanted fertility, Africa is distinctive, i.e. “African exceptionalism”.