RESUMO
The family system in Jamaica is extremely unstable, with high rates of dissolution of sexual unions and high levels of fertility outside marriage. The 3 commonly recognized types of fertile sexual unions are visiting, common-law and marriage. Of these, visiting unions are most predominant, overall as well as in every age group, and marriage the least. By age 49, most Jamaican women have 2 partners and have been involved in 3 unions. Empirical studies of the relationship between fertility and union stability in Jamaica have shown strong support for a positive association between the number of partners and/or unions and cumulative fertility. This study tests the hypothesis that fertility may stabilize a partnership by increasing the probability of a transaction to a more stable form of sexual union. The study data were collected in interviews with a sample of women between the ages of 15 and 49, from the Jamaica Fertility Survey (1975-76) which was part of the World Fertility Program. The 1st union of everyone in the sample was a visiting one, and no one had children prior to the start of that 1st union. The main reason for limiting the analysis to this sample is that, given the high frequency with which Jamican women begin their union histories with the visit version, it would be the appropriate starting point from which to study transition to more stable unions. The study findings show that for women whose 1st sexual union was a visiting one, fertility operates in 2 opposing directions. While it significantly lowers the likelihood of a move into the stabler unions of common-law and marriage, it also lowers a partnership turnover into single status or with a new partner. In other words, fertility raises the stabilty of the existing visiting union. Further research aimed at analyzing transitions out of higher-order unions should be able to shed more light on the issue (AU)
Assuntos
Humanos , Adulto , Masculino , Feminino , Fertilidade , Características da Família , Estado Civil , Parceiros Sexuais , JamaicaRESUMO
PIP: This paper examines the relationship between fertility, female labor force participation, and partnership formation using data collected in the 1975-1976 Jamaican Fertility Survey. Numerous studies in nations of the British Caribbean have documented a positive association between sexual union instability and fertility. These findings disagree with conventional demographic theory. If there is simultaneity between fertility, labor supply, and sexual union formation decisions, as suggested by economic theory, then models of fertility that assume that labor supply and sexual union formation decisions are exogenous are likely misspecified, and this may account for the observed positive association. This possibility was explored by estimating models with ordinary least-squares and 2-stage least-squares regression techniques. The results indicate that the observed positive association between the number of sexual partners and fertility may be spurious as a model that assumes that labor supply and partnership formation decisions are endogenous revealed the expected negative association. Future research aimed at examining the socioeconomic determinants of fertility in Caribbean societies will have to take this possibility into serious consideration.^ieng
Assuntos
Divórcio , Emprego , Fertilidade , Casamento , Modelos Econômicos , Projetos de Pesquisa , Parceiros Sexuais , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Fatores de Tempo , América , Comportamento , Região do Caribe , Demografia , Países em Desenvolvimento , Economia , Jamaica , Modelos Teóricos , América do Norte , População , Dinâmica Populacional , Pesquisa , Comportamento Sexual , Classe SocialRESUMO
PIP: This paper examines the relationship between sexual union instability and fertility in 3 English-speaking Caribbean societies--Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad/Tobago--using data collected in the World Fertility Program. There is usually a positive association between marital stability and fertility, the main reason being that marital instability causes periods of time in which a woman is not sexually active. High levels of divorce and marital separation are likely factors making for lower levels of aggregate fertility. To examine this relationship, this study used an index of cumulative fertility, the duration ratio, that controls for the biological effects of age, and age at 1st union was used as the dependent variable in a multiple regression analysis. The study demonstrated that despite many similarities between the 3 societies, there are also clear differences in terms of how membership in different types of sexual unions interacts with fertility. 1 main conclusion was that there is a positive association between the number of sexual unions and fertility, (in keeping with previous research on these societies). However, the factors were not uniform across the 3 societies. In Guyana marriage had the greatest effect on fertility while in Jamaica the 2 most unstable unions--visiting and common-law--had the greatest effect. In Trinidad/Tobago marriage and common-law had the greatest effect.^ieng
Assuntos
Fertilidade , Casamento , Feminino , Guiana , Humanos , Jamaica , Masculino , Trinidad e TobagoRESUMO
This paper examines the relationship between sexual union instability and fertility in 3 English-speaking Caribbean societies - Guyana, Jamica, and Trinidad/Tobago - using data collected in the World Fertility Program. There is usually a positive association between marital stability and fertility, the main reason being that marital instability causes periods of time in which a woman is not sexually active. High levels of divorce and marital separation are likely factors making for lower levels of aggregate fertility. To examine this relationship, this study used an index of cumulative fertility, the duration ratio, that controls for the biological effects of age, and age at 1st union was used as the dependent variable in a multiple regression analysis. The study demonstrated that despite many similarities between the three societies, there are also clear differences in terms of how membership in different types of sexual unions interacts with fertility. 1 main conclusion was that there is a positive association between the number of sexual unions and fertility, (in keeping with previous research on these societies). However, the factors were not uniform across the 3 societies. In Guyana marriage had the greatest effect on fertility while in Jamaica the 2 most unstable unions - visiting and common-law - had the greatest effect. In Trinidad/Tobago marriage and common-law had the greatest effect. (AU)