Childlessness and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Is There Evidence for a U-shaped Pattern?

ABSTRACT: In high-income countries, women increasingly remain permanently childless. Little is known about the relationship between childlessness and socioeconomic development in non-Western societies and particularly sub-Saharan Africa. At lower levels of development, poverty-driven (i.e., involuntary) childlessness may decrease with increases in levels of development, while at higher levels of development opportunity-driven (i.e., voluntary and circumstantial) childlessness may rise with development. Thus, we expect a U-shaped relationship between childlessness and development overall. We examine this idea for sub-Saharan Africa. We further contribute by differentiating between female and male childlessness; and between involuntary, voluntary and circumstantial childlessness. Moreover, we construc

SUBMITTER: Verkroost FCJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9363553 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature