Regional patterns of fertility in Nepal
Subedi, B.P.
Contributions to Nepalese Studies 25(Special iss): 145-156
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0376-7574 Document Number: 209758
The paper focuses on regional patterns of fertility and the implications of these patterns in Nepal. Using ecodevelopment regions as the units of analysis and data from the 1971 and 1991 population censuses, it examines regional-level changes in fertility and its association with selected development factors. Two related measures of fertility are studied: the child-woman ratio; the change in the proportion of children and women in the population between the two census periods. Cluster analysis is utilized to discern regional patterns and change. The objective is to examine where significant change in fertility has taken place and to examine its association with selected socio-economic factors. The emphasis is on space and a strong argument is presented that 'geography matters'. The results suggest a mixed pattern of fertility changes in the fifteen regions during the twenty year period. Fertility has clearly declined in two of the fifteen regions (Eastern Terai and Central Hills), which are characterized by high levels of social and human development. In some areas there is a clear plateau in the level of fertility (mainly in the Far West and Mid-West), whilst in other areas fertility may even be rising. Whereas some of the apparent differences may be related to the quality of the data as well as changes in mortality, the preliminary results suggest that further research is needed to understand fertility differentials at the regional level in Nepal.