The geography of changing fertility in Myanmar

Anne Schuster, Andrew Hinde and Sabu Padmadas
Additional contact information
Anne Schuster: University of Southampton
Andrew Hinde: University of Southampton
Sabu Padmadas: University of Southampton

Demographic Research, 2019, vol. 41, issue 2, 37-52

Abstract: Background: Between 1983 and 2014, the total fertility rate in Myanmar declined from 4.7 to 2.3 children per woman. Previous analyses of fertility decline in the country suggest that the decline varied regionally, but the geography of the decline has not been formally assessed. Methods: Using data from the 1983 and 2014 censuses, we examine fertility trends and geospatial patterns in fertility decline in Myanmar during the intercensal period, and investigate the aggregate socioeconomic factors underlying fertility decline at subregional levels. Results: Between 1983 and 2014, fertility change at subregional level was characterised by a precipitous decline in fertility rates in the broad central valley areas and a much weaker decline in remote, peripheral areas. Regression analysis of the 2014 census data, adjusting for state/region level variances, reveals a strong negative correlation between fertility and access to modern communication technologies. District-level female education and road connectivity were also associated with fertility. Conclusions: The geographical diversity in Myanmar’s fertility transition has intensified over time, as fertility decline is concentrated in areas with greater development, higher socioeconomic status, and better connectivity to information networks. Contribution: A district’s digital connectivity, measured through access to communication technologies, was a better predictor of fertility than other traditional measures. There is a need to explore to what extent digital connectivity is a proxy indicator for levels of modernisation and access to family planning and reproductive health services, and the extent to which it measures the intensity of social networks and the diffusion of information.

Keywords: fertility decline; access; Myanmar (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol41/2/41-2.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dem:demres:v:41:y:2019:i:2

DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.41.2

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Demographic Research from Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Editorial Office ().