Page 13 - IJPS-9-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Reproductive transition of Ethiopian youths

The gender gap decomposition analysis revealed that their social networks (Bezie & Addisu, 2019; Erulkar &
approximately 37% of the difference at age 20 and 56% at Muthengi, 2009; Liang & Yu, 2022; Raj et al., 2019). In line
age 25 was due to differences in characteristics of male and with this, in a study from Tanzania, a relatively higher cost
female youths. The differential influence of confounders, of schooling and an increasing prevalence of premarital
including the overall effect of unknown factors, contributed sex were cited as leading factors for entering into marital
to the remaining gender gap. The detailed decomposition life at an early age (Stark, 2018). Hence, working toward
provided the contribution of each of the predictors to both removing the barriers to adolescent girls’ education to
the endowment and coefficient effects (Table 4). pursue beyond the primary level can act as a leaven to
The difference in the proportion of sexually active improve youth reproductive transitions.
before the age of 20 contributed the most (0.169) to the 4.2. The gender gap in the reproductive transition of
gender gap in the transition to parenthood at age 20. youths is the highest during adolescence
Interpreted another way, a reduction in the difference
in the prevalence of early sexual debut will lead to a Although the transition to parenthood was consistent
reduction of approximately 31% of the total gender gap across birth cohorts for both sexes, a substantial gender
in parenthood at age 20. Furthermore, the difference in gap was observed in the transition profile having a
attainment of at least a primary level of education (0.050) maximal gap during adolescence. The primary driving
between the sexes contributed to 9% of the gender gap in factor for the gender gap in the transition to parenthood
the transition to parenthood at age 20. The differential was the difference in the early timing and magnitude of
effects of community literacy (0.145) and exposure to youths’ debut to sex and entry into marriage. Female
media (0.034) significantly contributed to the gender gap youths faced significant disadvantages compared to their
in early parenthood. A significant portion of the gender male peers because they typically initiate sex early and
gap in parenthood at age 25 was explained by differences utilize contraception inadequately during their sexual
in the proportion of early debut to sex (0.113) and level of encounters. Studies that concur with our findings have
education (0.078) between female and male youths. On the indicated that young women’s transition to parenthood
other hand, it was the differential influence of early debut was positively impacted by contraceptive counseling and
to sex and contraceptive use that significantly predicted the addressing their demand for contraception (Brittain et al.,
gap in transition to parenthood (Table 4). 2015; Diez et al., 2020; Sánchez-Páez & Ortega, 2018).

4. Discussion 4.3. The gender gap in the reproductive transition
of youths was largely determined by structural
The study used a decomposition analysis framework to differences than socio-economic inequalities
assess the gender gap in the reproductive transition of
youths and its components. Individual and community- The findings support the premise that the gender gap
level factors were used in our analysis. The results in the reproductive transition of youths was not only a
demonstrated that a large proportion of the gender gap product of socioeconomic inequalities but also a result
happens during adolescence and results from structural of discriminatory effects of socioeconomic factors.
effects of factors than differences in characteristics The educational level of adolescent girls had a stronger
between male and female youths. The findings imply the influence on delaying their debut to sex than it had for
mere fact that the elimination of disparities in individual- adolescent boys. This finding affirms previous findings
level socioeconomic and community-level factors is not that reported a stronger return to education in delaying
sufficient to close the gender gap. debut to sex and entry into marriage among adolescent
girls (Ahonsi et al., 2019; Misunas et al., 2021; Petroni
4.1. Expanding school attendance promotes the et al., 2017). On the other hand, the fact that household
delayed reproductive transition of female youths wealth and community affluence played a contrasting
discriminating role in youths’ debut to sex is an interesting
Rates of the debut to premarital sex and entry into marriage finding of this study. While female youths living in well-off
have grown in contrast to one another over birth cohorts. households had an increased risk of the debut to sex than
The gender gap in the magnitude of early debuts to sex, males, in contrast, community affluence by far protects
either premarital or within a marital context, was solely
determined by the difference in the level of education of female adolescent youths.
male and female youths. Studies have shown that delaying The findings indicated that as opposed to its impact
early marriage can be accomplished by encouraging on male adolescents, community literacy increased the
female youths to continue their education past the primary risk of adolescent motherhood for adolescent girls. This
level and supporting them in building and expanding suggests that the pro-natalist norm of highly educated

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2023) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.476