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Title: | Educational attainment differences between population groups in South Africa and the timing and number of births |
Authors: | Gustafsson, Siv Kalwij, Adriaan Worku, Seble |
Year: | 2009 |
Periodical: | South African Journal of Economics |
Volume: | 77 |
Issue: | 4 |
Pages: | 471-487 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | South Africa |
Subjects: | fertility rate birth spacing women's education |
External link: | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1813-6982.2009.01223.x/pdf |
Abstract: | From 1981 to 2005, the total fertility rate in South Africa has been reduced from an estimated level of 4.6 to 2.8 children per woman. The relative differences in the total fertility rate between population groups, however, remain large. Based on data from the 2002 General Household Survey, this paper analyses the determinants of the timing of births and shows that better-educated women schedule birth later and have fewer children. The differences in education between population groups account for a substantive part (up to 40 percent) of the differences in completed fertility between the population groups. The findings suggest that educational reforms aimed at equal access to education, which benefit African women most, may not only improve the quality of life of women but also, through their impact on fertility behaviour, yield long-run benefits, as they will have fewer children and more resources to invest in the next generation. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract] |