Volume 20 - Article 9 | Pages 169-194

Is Latin America starting to retreat from early and universal childbearing?

By Luis Rosero-Bixby, Teresa Castro Martin, Teresa Martín-García


Date received:	22 Oct 2008
Date published:	20 Feb 2009
Word count:	5793
Keywords:	childlessness, fertility, first birth, Latin America
DOI:	10.4054/DemRes.2009.20.9

Abstract

The 2000 censuses show that the proportion of women below age 30 who are mothers has dropped substantially in most Latin America countries, suggesting that the social imperative of early motherhood, which has long prevailed in the region, is weakening. Surveys conducted in 14 Latin American countries in 2006 also show a strong link between childlessness and higher education across several cohorts. We discuss whether the recent increase in childlessness among young women reflects a shift towards later childbearing, a novel trend in the Latin American context, and also whether it may signal an emerging retreat from universal childbearing in the region.

Author's Affiliation

Luis Rosero-Bixby - University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica [Email]
Teresa Castro Martin - Spanish National Research Council, Spain [Email]
Teresa Martín-García - Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Spain [Email]