Effect of infertility on the population structure of the Herero and Mbanderu of southern Africa
Pennington, R.; Harpending, H.
Social Biology 38(1-2): 127-139
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-766X PMID: 1749960 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.1991.9988776Document Number: 343094
The Herero and Mbanderu of the northern Kalahari Desert of Botswana experienced population growth of -0.15%/year over the 1st 1/2 of the 20th century. Population growth for the population now stands near 3.5%/year. Over the last 3 decades, total fertility jumped from 2.65 to 7.02. This population has clearly become 1 of high fertility and rapid growth over a relatively short period. Population decline and a comparatively short 22-year cycle of birth waves were almost certainly due to widespread sterility in the population from diseases such as pelvic inflammatory disease. Antibiotics introduced into northwestern Botswana in the 1950s have greatly reduced earlier levels of infertility. Generation time has increased to 29 years, and more children are being born to older mothers. The present demographic pyramid of the population also reflects the large proportion of adolescent girls who have moved into their childbearing years. Population background, materials and methods, and graphs of population structure are included which show variation over the century.