Volume 37 - Article 1 | Pages 1–12
Fertility change in the American Indian and Alaska Native population, 1980–2010
By Sarah Cannon, Christine Percheski
Abstract
Background: Since 1990, Vital Statistics reports show a dramatic decline in the total fertility rates (TFRs) of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women in the United States.
Objective: We study whether the decrease in TFRs is due to a real change in fertility for a stable population; a compositional change in who identifies as AI/AN; or a methodological issue stemming from differences in identifying race across the data systems used to calculate fertility rates.
Methods: We use data from the decennial US Census to study change in AI/AN fertility from 1980–2010.
Results: We find declining TFRs when fertility is calculated within a single data system. Additionally, although TFRs are relatively stable within the subgroups of married and unmarried AI/AN women, the proportion of AI/AN women who are married has declined across birth cohorts.
Conclusions: The decrease in TFRs for AI/AN women is a real change in fertility patterns and is not due to differences in racial identification across data systems.
Contribution: We update knowledge of AI/AN fertility to include the decline in TFRs between 1980 and 2010.
Author’s Affiliation
- Sarah Cannon - Gibson Consulting Group, United States of America EMAIL
- Christine Percheski - Northwestern University, United States of America EMAIL
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