The childbearing family in sub-Saharan Africa: structure, fertility, and the future

Odile Frank

No 509, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: sub-Saharan Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world in what otherwise seems to be a global - encompassing even the giant, China - demographic transition to fertility decline. The author analyzes the present types of family structure and divisions of responsibility and forecasts four scenarios, what she calls the feminist, impoverishment, Americas, and Caldwellian scenarios. She also discusses the importance ofgender roles and fertility regulating behavior in sub-Saharan Africa - particularly the importance in the African family structure of child fostering. Finally, she addresses the methodological difficulties of conducting research on family structure and fertility in Africa, and outlines an agenda for research.

Keywords: Population&Development; Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems; Anthropology; Health Monitoring&Evaluation; Primary Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1990-09-30
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