Page 7 - IJPS-11-3

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Exploring the contribution of changes in

nuptiality patterns to fertility transition among
Ethiopian women

Dame Kedir *, Tariku Dejene 1 , and Terefe Degefa 1
1,2
1 Center for Population Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia
2 Department of Mathematics, College of Applied Natural Science, Adama Science and Technology
University, Adama, Ethiopia

Abstract

Fertility changes in sub-Saharan Africa are intricately tied to the institution of
marriage. In this context, marriage is often depicted as the primary framework for
childbearing, reflecting deeply rooted cultural norms and societal expectations.
A woman’s age at the first childbirth is crucial for shaping future life and is directly
connected to her lifetime fertility. Despite the substantial body of research central to
fertility in Ethiopia, the specific role of changes in the nuptiality patterns in driving
lifetime fertility transitions has received comparatively less attention. To address this
gap, this study utilized data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys
*Corresponding author: conducted in 2000 and 2016. A Poisson-based multivariate decomposition for the
Dame Kedir non-linear response model was employed to identify, quantify, and decompose the
(dame.kedir@astu.edu.et) changes in lifetime fertility over time. The lifetime fertility experienced a statistically
Citation: Kedir, D., Dejene, T., & significant decline between the two survey periods. Early marriage and marital
Degefa T. (2025). Exploring the instability are highly prevalent in Ethiopia. Marriage stability showed improvement
contribution of changes in nuptiality
patterns to fertility transition among in the two surveys. Regardless of early or late marriage, it contributes to an increase
Ethiopian women. International in lifetime fertility if showing stability and decreases lifetime fertility in the case
Journal of Population Studies, of instability. The changes in nuptiality patterns have statistically significantly
11(3): 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.5749 contributed to lifetime fertility transition. The observed statistically significant
decline in lifetime fertility is primarily linked to the reduction in the average number
Received: November 1, 2024 of deceased children. Furthermore, women with no formal education, those with
Revised: December 12, 2024 secondary or higher education, women from households with the poorest and middle
Accepted: March 5, 2025 wealth indices, and those residing in communities with high literacy levels were
key contributors to the lifetime fertility transition. The complex and dynamic shifts
Published online: March 26, 2025 in nuptiality patterns among women aged 35 and older, along with contraceptive
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). use, contributed nearly equally to the lifetime fertility transition. Nuptiality patterns
This is an Open-Access article should be factored in the reproductive health policies and targeted interventions
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution to the fluctuating nuptiality patterns. With an understanding of the complexities
License, permitting distribution, of nuptiality patterns and their contributions to fertility transitions, governments
and reproduction in any medium, and non-governmental organizations can foster improved family planning and
provided the original work is
properly cited. reproductive health outcomes.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Nuptiality patterns; Lifetime fertility; Children ever born; Contraceptive;
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Decomposition analysis; Ethiopia
affiliations.

Volume 11 Issue 3 (2025) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.5749