A comparative analysis of the influence of contraceptive use and fertility desire on the duration of second birth interval in four sub-Saharan African countries

Background Fertility decline characterised by inter-birth intervals remains rather slow or stall in many countries of sub-Saharan African (SSA). Non-adherence to optimal inter-birth intervals often occasioned by low prevalence of contraceptive use and high fertility desires often lead to poor maternal and child health outcomes. Additionally, information on the influence of contraception and fertility desire on interval between first and second births (SBI) is rarely available. This study therefore aimed to examine the influence of fertility desire and contraception on SBI among women in four SSA countries. Methods We analysed cross-sectional data on women aged 15–49 years who participated in the recent Demographic and Health Surveys in DR Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. Semi-parametric Cox proportional hazards regression was employed for the analysis at 5% significance level. Results The median time to second birth was 34 months in DR Congo; 35 months, Nigeria; 42 months, Ethiopia; and 71 months, South Africa. About 70% of the women desired additional child(ren) and two-thirds have never used contraceptive in both Nigeria and DR Congo. The hazard of second birth was significantly lower among women who desired additional child(ren) compared to desired for no more child in DR Congo (aHR = 0.93; CI: 0.89–0.97), Ethiopia (aHR = 0.64; CI: 0.61–0.67) and South Africa (aHR = 0.51; CI: 0.47–0.55). Women who had never used contraceptive were 12%, 20% and 24% more likely to lengthen SBI than those who were current users in DR Congo, Nigeria and South Africa respectively. DR Congo and Nigerian women were about two times more likely to shorten SBI compared with their South African counterparts. Other significant determinants of SBI include ethnicity, rural residential, age and marital status at first birth, wealth and employment status. Conclusion Findings showed differentials in the linkage between second birth interval and the desired fertility and contraception by country, demonstrating the importance of context. The contribution of these factors to second birth interval requires country context-specific attention if further decline in fertility and poor health outcomes associated with sub-optimal inter-birth interval is to be attained in SSA.

Evidence of Exacerbated Gender Inequality in Child Care Obligations in Canada and Australia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Households in Canada and Australia have exhibited similar trends in the gendered allocation of additional child care responsibilities resulting from policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we employ survey data to analyze the extent to which policy interventions related to COVID-19 have exacerbated gender disparities in child care obligations. We find that existing asymmetrical distributions of child care obligations in Canada and Australia have been amplified during the pandemic, resulting in a disproportionate burden on women. During the pandemic we also find that, in households with children, women tend to report experiencing poorer mental health than men.

The More the Merrier? The Causal Effect of High Fertility on Later-Life Loneliness in Eastern Europe

Levels of later-life loneliness are high in Eastern Europe. We assess whether having more children is protective against later-life loneliness for Eastern-European mothers and fathers. Drawing on Generations and Gender Surveys data of 25,479 parents aged 50–80 from eight Eastern-European countries, we adopt an instrumental approach exploiting parents’ preference for mixed-sex offspring to estimate the causal effect of having additional children on feelings of loneliness. We find that having an additional child has a causal protective effect against loneliness for mothers. Ordinary least squares regression models also show a weak but statistically significant negative association between number of children and later-life loneliness among fathers. However, results of the instrumental variable analyses are inconclusive for this group. We thus do not find statistically significant causal evidence that having an additional child is protective against loneliness for fathers. Our results underline the importance of addressing reverse causality and selection bias when investigating the links between number of children and later-life loneliness, particularly among women. The causal evidence presented here suggests that the trend towards families with fewer children noted in several Eastern-European countries may place new cohorts of older Eastern-Europeans, and in particular Eastern-European women, at risk of stronger feelings of loneliness.

Number of children and the prevalence of later-life major depression and insomnia in women and men: findings from a cross-sectional study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.

Pregnancy and parenthood have been associated with physical and mental health. Previous literature concerning the impacts of parity on mental health was inconsistent and lack epidemiolocal evidence. China, with growing mental health problems and changing fertility patterns, faces unique challenges. This study aims to examine the relationship between parity and the prevalence of major depression and insomnia among men and women in the Chinese population. Methods Baseline data from a Chinese population-based study of 512,891 adults (59.01% women) from 10 areas, aged 30-79 were analyzed. Number of children were based on self-report by the participants. Major depression (MD) was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Inventory. Insomnia symptoms were accessed by questionnaire comparable to that used in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between MD/Insomnia and number of children, after stratifications and adjustments. Results For women, each additional child was associated with a 9% decreased odds of MD (OR: 0.91, 95%CI: 0.88-0.96), with the associations significant for those who lived in urban areas (OR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.70-0.83), or had a lower education (OR: 0.90, 95%CI: 0.85-0.94), or had lower household income (OR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.85-0.94), or had ever used alcohol (OR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.84-0.93). The association between per additional children and MD was not significant in men (OR: 1.02, 95%CI: 0.97-1.07) but a decreased odds of MD with per additional child was found in men who lived in urban areas (OR: 0.81, 95%CI: 0.71-0.96). For women, each additional child was associated with a 4% decreased odds of insomnia (OR: 0.96, 95%CI: 0.95-0.96). Each additional child was also associated with a 2% decreased odds of insomnia in men (OR: 0.98, 95%CI: 0.97-1.00). Conclusions MD and insomnia was associated with number of children, particularly in women and the association was mediated by socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Future mental health public health programs should address parity and sex differences when designing interventions.

The gendered division of housework and fertility intention in Turkey

It is increasingly acknowledged that an equal sharing of domestic labour in a household influences women’s childbearing behavior in a positive way. Despite the growing literature on this association, there is little research exploring this phenomenon in the Middle Eastern setting. Using intensive interviews with women (n = 32), I examine how the division of domestic labour is connected to women’s intention to continue childbearing in Turkey, an understudied region. The study finds that husbands’ housework share is positively related to women’s fertility intention for an additional child in Turkey. The gender revolution framework offers an explanation for fertility and gender relationship in Turkey; however, the fact that only a small number of sampled women enjoyed domestic equality and greater desire to continue childbearing suggests that the gender revolution is just evolving in this environment.

An aspectual account of ba and bei constructions in child Mandarin

This study examines the ba and bei constructions in Mandarin using data from the Tong corpus, a new multimedia longitudinal child language corpus. A unified aspectual account of the two constructions is proposed: both require telic predicates, and should thus correlate with the perfective rather than imperfective aspect for learners. Analysis of corpus and diary data reveals that Tong is generally sensitive to the telic requirement when he begins to use the two constructions around 2;0. His ba and bei sentences occur far more frequently in perfective than imperfective aspect, consistent with the Aspect Hypothesis. However, while the majority of the child’s bei passives are perfective, the majority of his ba sentences are produced without overt aspect markers, among which most are irrealis (imperatives, modal sentences, etc.). The difference mirrors the pattern in adult input. These findings are corroborated by additional child Mandarin corpora. The acquisition of the aspectual properties of the ba and bei constructions is influenced by inherent knowledge, input and language-specific features of Mandarin, consistent with the multi-factorial account proposed by earlier studies.