Differences in intergenerational fertility associations by sex and race in Saba, Dutch Caribbean, 1876–2004

Abstract

This study examines the intergenerational transmission of fertility behavior in Saba, Dutch Caribbean from 1876 to 2004 using reconstituted genealogies. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients of several fertility measures and event-history models of age at first birth are used to explore relationships between the fertility of mothers and their children. The strength of intergenerational fertility ties varies by race and gender. Individuals that are better positioned to realize their fertility preferences have the strongest intergenerational associations, while individuals with the most limited reproductive options have the weakest intergenerational associations. This evidence supports hypotheses that posit the intergenerational transmission of attitudes, goals, and behaviors and the ability to act on those preferences as drivers of the presence or magnitude of links between the fertility of parents and their children.

Keywords:

• intergenerational fertility
• Saba
• Caribbean
• event-history models
• fertility preferences

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grant 5 R24 HD050924, Carolina Population Center, and grant 5 T32 HD007168, Population Research Training, awarded to the Carolina Population Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Notes

1. In analyses not reported here, extending the mortality criteria for males until age 60 did not significantly change the results.

2. 2,209 did not meet the age criteria, having either died or emigrated before completing their childbearing years. 503 of the remaining were of mixed ancestry.

3. A four-year window was also tested. The results were not significantly different than those reported here, although the averages were less stable than those obtained using a 10-year window at the beginning and end of the study period as would be expected with the reduced number of cases in each of the shorter windows.