Copyright (c) 2009 University of Pennsylvania All rights reserved. http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography Recent documents in African Demography Working Paper Series en-us Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:38:16 PDT 3600 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/18 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/18 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:15:52 PST Marriage is an important institution for both individuals and society as a whole. It is a significant event in the life cycle of individuals; for society at large it represents the creation of a new unit of production, consumption, distribution and exchange of goods and services. In most comparative studies of nuptiality it has been usual to characterize sub-Saharan pattern of marriage as "early and universal". Early and virtually continuous marriage throughout a woman's reproductive years is also maintained by several related marriage customs including polygyny, levirate marriage, and bride wealth or bride price (van de Walle, 1968;Goldman and Pebley, 1986). Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abdelrahman http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/17 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/17 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:05:46 PST Postpartum taboos on sexual intercourse have been encountered in many countries throughout history. They were once advocated by medical authorities in Europe. The Greek and Roman doctors of antiquity were opposed to sexual relations during nursing and their opinions were quoted until the nineteenth century. Galen (1951:29) thought that the milk of the nursing mother would be spoiled because of the admixture of sperm in the mother's blood. Soranos and Hippocrates believed that coitus and passionate behavior provided the stimulus that reactivated menstruation. Prior to the eighteenth century, there was no medical knowledge of the biological effect of bring on inence, and not the action of breastfeeding, was thought to delay the return of menses. This interpretation was still vivid in Europe in the eighteenth century. Etienne van de Walle http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/16 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/16 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:50:23 PST This paper studies marriage patterns and systems in Ankole. Discussed in the study are age at marriage, proportion married,marriage dissolution, remarriages, types of marriage and bridewealth. The paper finds that most of the marriage patterns are among the major causes of high fertility in the area. James P. M. Ntozi http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/15 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/15 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:31:58 PST Material resources affect the levels of mortality. In cross-sectional relationships income has been found to be positively associated with survival, both within and between countries. Preston (1975, 1976), in particular, using cross-national data for three separate decades of the 20th century, showed that at any point in time there was a positive relationship between national income per capita and life expectancy. Other studies (e.g., those reviewed in Cochrane et al., 1980) have arrived at the same conclusion. Within countries, just as at the cross-national level, child mortality has been found to be inversely related to the economic status of the family, but the measure of economic status used has not always been the same. In the minority are studies of socioeconomic determinants of child mortality which have examined the association between economic status, measured by income, and child survival (Anker and Knowles, 1980; Carvajal and Burgess, 1978; Farah and Preston, 1982; Schultz, 1980; Tekce and Shorter, 1983). Ismaila Lawal Sulaiman http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/14 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/14 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:01:51 PST The study of demographic trends in sub-Saharan Africa though crucial in the assessment of the impact of population size and growth on the overall socio-economic development in the region, has received the least attention due to lack of reliable data for most of the countries. This paper focuses on the utilization of available data secured through population censuses and demographic surveys particularly the World Fertility Survey to ascertain trends in fertility and mortality. The estimates derived from the above sources should be interpreted with caution since they suffer from diverse deficiencies in the data base particularly coverage, content and consistency. It is apparent, though debatable, from the available estimates that fertility has increased in some countries--Kenya and Cameroon; has remained almost stable in Benin, Ivory Coast and Lesotho; and has slightly declined in Ghana. The underlying factors with regard to the apparent increase hinge on the improvement in the socio-economic indicators i.e. education and health services; relaxation of traditional controls i.e. breastfeeding and post-partum abstinence; and a reduction in the level of sterility. As far as trends in mortality are concerned, the estimates posit a decline in both infant and child mortality in Kenya, Benin and Ivory Coast; infant mortality in Cameroon; and child mortality in North Sudan and Senegal. Overall mortality levels are high in Western and Central Africa and low in Eastern and Southern Africa. Etienne van de Walle http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/13 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/13 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:36:32 PST The extent of knowledge and practice of contraception in African populations remains hard to evaluate and despite the great influx of data from the World Fertility Surveys, the impact of contraception on fertility levels is difficult to measure. The practice of abstinence for the purpose of spacing births is widespread in Africa. It was discussed in demographic terms already by Lorimer in 1954. More recently the Caldwells (1977, 1981), by carefully investigating the phenomenon among the Yoruba, contributed greatly to establish the place of sexual abstinence in the study of the determinants of African fertility. Lately, data from the World Fertility Survey have shown large variations in the length of post-partum abstinence between countries and among different ethnic groups. Anthropological research has thrown some light on the different functions attributed to post-partum sexual abstinence, and the different reasons for practicing it. Francine van de Walle http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/12 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/12 Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:55:41 PST Ethnographic studies in West Africa show that the practice of sending children away to be raised by relatives and nonrelatives is widespread among many ethnic groups. This paper is an attempt to explore the demographic relevance of the practice. The fostering information is obtained from two sources: the responses given by women to the question on children away from home, and by linking all children to their mothers with the unmatched children being treated as fosters. The characteristics of these children, their surrogate mothers, and those of the biological mothers are explored, and the determinants of child fostering are discussed as correlates of these attributes. The results are indicative of high incidence of child fosterage in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. Child fostering enhances female labor force participation, and may affect the fertility decisions of both natural and foster parents, mainly because it serves to reallocate the resources available for raising children within the society. It may also have consequences on child survival, depending partly on how the culture treats children outside of their maternal homes. Uche C. Isiugo-Abanihe http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/11 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/11 Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:26:00 PST The data collected by the Bandafassi demographic study in Eastern Senegal, a small-scale intensive and experimental follow-up survey on a population of about 7,000 inhabitants in 1983, were analyzed to derive an estimation of the life table. The use of the multi-round survey technique, combined with anthropological methods to estimate the ages or collect genealogies, results in unusually reliable data. Taking into account the uncertainty of the estimates related to the small size of the population, the measures of mortality show a high mortality level, with life-expectancy at birth close to 31 years; a pattern of infant and child mortality close to what has been observed in other rural areas of Senegal; a seasonal pattern in child mortality with two high risk periods, the rainy season and the end of the dry season; an adult mortality pattern similar to what is described in model life tables for developed countries; no significant differences according to sex or ethnic group. The example of the Bandafassi population study and of a few similar studies, suggests that one possible way to improve demographic estimates in countries where vital registration systems are defective would be to set up a sample of population laboratories where intensive methods of data collection would continue for extended periods. Gilles Pison http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/10 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/10 Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:00:01 PST This paper examines the relationship between sanitation and the risk of child mortality in Ghana in 1971. In addition to using the presence or absence of toilet and water facilities in the home as an indicator of sanitation, combinations of the types of toilet or water facilities and the education of the mother are used. The results of the analysis show that although better facilities for example, piped water, water closets or private latrines) are often associated with lower child mortality, the advantages of better sanitation facilities are severely limited when mothers are not educated. Providing as little as one to six years of formal education results in considerable reductions in child mortality risks even among mothers using poor water and toilet facilities, and the combination of some education and adequate facilities appears to reduce substantially the risk of death. P. Wolanya Stephens http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/9 http://repository.upenn.edu/psc_african_demography/9 Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:33:58 PST The paper presents and discusses the age pattern of mortality observed in Ngayokheme (Sine Saloum, Senegal). It is compared to data of other developing areas and to model life tables. Mortality at ages 1 to 4 is shown to be much higher than anywhere else where data are available. Reasons for this pattern are investigated. Emphasis is given to the epidemiological pattern, especially to diarrheal diseases and malaria and to the seasonality of mortality. Michel Garenne