Age-Specific Birth Rates in Brazil: Economic and Social Predictors of Reproduction by Adolescent and Adult Women

Abstract

<p>For those who have reason to doubt the certainty or quality of their futures, it may be adaptive to engage in an accelerated life course and reproduce earlier than the public health policy officials consider ideal. This hypothesis was examined using life expectancy, school registration, income, income inequality, and the degree of urbanization to predict the birth rates of 15-19 year olds across municipalities in Brazil. To evaluate whether adolescents respond differently to these indicators than older women, the results for 15-19 year olds were compared to those obtained for women 20- 29, 30-39, and 40-49 years old. Negative binomial regression results indicate that although teenage women seem to be the most sensitive to these socioeconomic indicators, older women adjust their reproductive efforts in a similar manner. More specifically, higher birth rates in all age groups are found in municipalities with short life expectancies, lower rates of school registration, lower average incomes, and higher income inequality. The degree of urbanization predicts differential effects according to age; for the 15-29 age group it is positively associated with birth rates and for the 30-49 year old women it is a negative predictor. Repeating the analyses within the five Major Regions of Brazil yields directionally consistent relationships for all predictors compared to those for the country as a whole.</p>