Demographic transition in Arab countries: A new perspective |
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Authors: | Hoda Rashad |
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Institution: | (1) Social Research Center, The American University in Cairo, 113 Kasr El Ami, PO Box 2511, 11511 Cairo, Egypt |
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Abstract: | This paper provides a new perspective on the fertility transition in Arab countries. It shows that the story of Arab fertility
must be retold: the story is of a region with the highest fertility preferences, exhibiting reluctance to change due to the
stranglehold of cultural forces, and just starting to respond to development forces. The paper shows that Arab regional experience
is quite comparable to that of other developing countries and that, though the fertility decline occurred at a somewhat later
date, the pace of decline more than compensates for this delay. Furthermore, the probing of country level experiences and
forces underlying the transition shows the diversities of these experiences and the exaggeration of the role of cultural specificity.
It also demonstrates that a large part of the decline in Arab fertility is due to changes in nuptiality. For some segments
of society and some countries, these changes are not paralleled by increased opportunities for women to have more fulfilling
lives. For these women, the fertility decline is not necessarily improving the quality of their lives and cannot be equated
with progress and development. |
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