Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
11/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/06/2024 06:06
The fertility impacts of development programs
The fertility impacts of development programs
This paper examines how women's fertility responds to increases in their earnings and household wealth.
From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Published 10 July 2024
Document Type: Working Paper Theme: Economic Growth Authors: Donald, Aletheia Amalia, Goldstein, Markus P., Koroknay-Palicz, Tricia, Sage, Mathilde
Abstract
This paper examines how women's fertility responds to increases in their earnings and household wealth, using 6 experiments conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa. Contrary to predictions that an increase in female earnings raises the opportunity cost of childbearing and that this will lower fertility, the findings show that an increase in the profits of female business-owners in Ethiopia and Togo results in them having more children. The findings also show a positive fertility response to increases in the value of household assets induced by land formalization programmes in Benin and Ghana. These results are driven by women who are in most need of sons for support in old age or in the event of widowhood. The findings suggest that women's lack of long-term economic security is an important driver of fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This output is part of the Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) programme.
Citation
Donald AA and others. 'The fertility impacts of development programs' Policy Research Working Paper, World Bank Group, Washington, D.C. 2024
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Published 10 July 2024