Anatomy of a fertility decline: Peninsular Malaysia, 1950–1976

Abstract

Data from a retrospective survey are used to analyse trends in the fertility of Peninsular Malaysia's three main ethnic groups, Malays, Chinese and Indians. Though imperfect, these data allow a comparison of the fertility experience of birth cohorts of women who were in their childbearing years during two decades of rapid social change. Two components of the birth interval, post-partum amenorrhoea and the menstruating interval, and proximate determinants of these two components, breast-feeding and contraceptive use, are considered. Ethnic differences in the way these components have changed over time are more pronounced than differences in completed fertility, primarily because Malay women breast-fed longer then women of Chinese origin, while the latter were more likely to use modern contraceptives.

The research and the data on which this paper is based were funded by Contracts AID/otr-1744 and AID-pha-1057 from the Agency for International Development to the Rand Corporation. Neither institution necessarily endorses the findings. We are most grateful to Terry J. Fain and Pilar Rosenfeld for expert programming assistance and to Linda J. Waite, Ronald Rindfuss, William P. McGreevey, William P. Butz and Frances Kobrin for their valuable comments.

The research and the data on which this paper is based were funded by Contracts AID/otr-1744 and AID-pha-1057 from the Agency for International Development to the Rand Corporation. Neither institution necessarily endorses the findings. We are most grateful to Terry J. Fain and Pilar Rosenfeld for expert programming assistance and to Linda J. Waite, Ronald Rindfuss, William P. McGreevey, William P. Butz and Frances Kobrin for their valuable comments.

Notes

The research and the data on which this paper is based were funded by Contracts AID/otr-1744 and AID-pha-1057 from the Agency for International Development to the Rand Corporation. Neither institution necessarily endorses the findings. We are most grateful to Terry J. Fain and Pilar Rosenfeld for expert programming assistance and to Linda J. Waite, Ronald Rindfuss, William P. McGreevey, William P. Butz and Frances Kobrin for their valuable comments.