Influences of fertility decline and increasing age at first birth on women’s well-being and equality with men

This paper examines, in cross-national perspective, how structural declines in fertility and increases in the age at first birth have influenced the lives of women in poor settings, focusing on aspects of their absolute well-being and extent of equality with men. Data are analyzed at the country level, drawn primarily from about 200 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and contextualized by United Nations and World Bank data sources.

The abstract is available here. This research is part of a series of empirical studies from the Fertility and Empowerment Network, which is examining whether and to what extent increasingly smaller family sizes in lower and middle income countries have empowered women or resulted in fundamental transformations in inequitable gender systems.