Rahman Md Mosfequr, Jampaklay Aree
Department of Population Science and Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh.
Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand.
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 20;25(1):1864. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23000-y.
A substantial body of evidence indicates an inverse correlation between the empowerment of women and fertility rates. Women's empowerment is a central theme in global development initiatives, necessitating a thorough and updated evaluation of the current evidence regarding its relationship with fertility. This study sought to examine the correlation between women's empowerment and fertility intentions-specifically, the desire for additional children among reproductive-aged women living with at least one child in South Asian nations, amidst a backdrop of declining fertility rates in the region.
Analyses utilize the latest standard Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan for the period ranging from 2015 to 2022, which are nationally representative of women aged 15 to 49 years. To construct an effective empowerment indicator, we utilized the survey-based women's empowerment (SWPER) composite index established in the literature, which encompasses several dimensions, including decision-making participation, attitudes towards violence, and social independence. Multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship of interest.
Findings indicate that approximately one-third of South Asian women (31.1%) with at least one child expressed a desire for additional children, with the lowest percentage in Nepal (19.4%) and the highest in Afghanistan (42.3%). Higher empowerment among women in South Asia concerning attitudes toward violence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74-0.88) and decision-making (AOR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.83-0.94) correlated with a lower likelihood to desire additional children. However, women with medium (AOR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.51-1.70) and high (AOR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.44-1.74) empowerment levels regarding social independence were more inclined to seek an additional child compared to those with low empowerment in this domain.
This research revealed that specific dimensions of women's empowerment markedly reduce the desire for additional children in patriarchic and conservative South Asian settings. Strategies aimed at fertility regulation in South Asia must carefully assess and prioritize women's empowerment.
大量证据表明女性赋权与生育率之间存在负相关。女性赋权是全球发展倡议的核心主题，因此有必要对当前有关其与生育率关系的证据进行全面且更新的评估。本研究旨在探讨女性赋权与生育意愿之间的相关性，具体而言，是在南亚国家生育率下降的背景下，研究至少育有一个孩子的育龄妇女想要更多孩子的愿望。
分析使用了2015年至2022年期间阿富汗、孟加拉国、印度、尼泊尔和巴基斯坦最新的标准人口与健康调查（DHS），这些调查在全国范围内代表了15至49岁的女性。为构建一个有效的赋权指标，我们采用了文献中基于调查的女性赋权（SWPER）综合指数，该指数涵盖了多个维度，包括决策参与、对暴力的态度和社会独立性。使用多水平混合效应逻辑回归分析来研究感兴趣的关系。
研究结果表明，南亚地区至少育有一个孩子的女性中，约三分之一（31.1%）表示想要更多孩子，其中尼泊尔的比例最低（19.4%），阿富汗的比例最高（42.3%）。南亚女性在对暴力的态度（调整后的优势比[AOR]：0.81；95%置信区间[CI]：0.74 - 0.88）和决策方面（AOR：0.88；95% CI：0.83 - 0.94）赋权较高，与想要更多孩子的可能性较低相关。然而，在社会独立性方面，赋权水平中等（AOR：1.60；95% CI：1.51 - 1.70）和较高（AOR：1.59；95% CI：1.44 - 1.74）的女性比该领域赋权较低的女性更倾向于要一个更多孩子。
本研究表明，在父权制和保守的南亚环境中，女性赋权的特定维度显著降低了想要更多孩子的愿望。南亚旨在控制生育的策略必须仔细评估并优先考虑女性赋权。
