Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T13:12:48.666Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

FERTILITY TRANSITION IN SRI LANKA: IS IT A TEMPORARY PHENOMENON?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2017

E. L. Sunethra J. Perera
E. L. Sunethra J. Perera*
Affiliation:
Department of Demography, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
*
1Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

This paper examines the fertility transition and its recent dynamics in Sri Lanka using data from Demographic and Health Surveys and Population Censuses. Fertility trends and patterns were analysed for two periods: 1953–2000 and 2000–2012. The findings revealed that Sri Lanka’s fertility transition has been relatively rapid and has taken place over a period of about four decades to reach replacement level. Social and health-related factors, including decline in maternal and infant mortality, increase in women’s education, changes in institutions, reproductive values and behaviour, and increased contraceptive use all contributed to bringing down the fertility level by 2000. However, in the 2006/07 Sri Lankan DHS and 2012 Population Census, a slight increase in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.3 and 2.4, respectively, was observed. Binary logistic regression estimates based on 2006/2007 DHS data were used to identify the significant predictors of fertility preferences of ever-married women. The analysis of factors affecting the likelihood of having a larger family (more than 2 children) revealed that lower educated women were more likely to have a higher number of children than their counterparts with a higher level of education. Women who lived in rural and estate (commercial area of 20 acres or more employing 10 or more labourers) sectors were 1.4 and 1.2 times, respectively, more likely to prefer more children compared with urban women. In terms of ethnic groups, Moor and Tamil women were 4.5 and 1.4 times, respectively, more likely to prefer more children than Sinhalese women. When the economic status of women was considered, the poorer women were 1.4 times more likely to desire a higher number of children compared with rich women, while women in the middle wealth quintile were 1.2 times more likely to desire more children. The findings suggest that the Sri Lankan government should re-visit population and reproductive health policy and family planning programmes to see how it can better manage fertility among the different population groups in Sri Lanka.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 49 , Special Issue S1: Low Fertility in Developing Countries: Causes and Implications , November 2017 , pp. S116 - S130
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abeykoon, A. T. P. L. (2000) Population and socio-economic change in 20th century in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies 3, 15–34.Google Scholar
Abeykoon, A. T. P. L. (2001) Demographics trends in major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies 4, 27–40.Google Scholar
Abeykoon, A. T. P. L. (2006) Fertility transition in Sri Lanka: the determinants and consequences. Paper presented at the Seminar on Fertility Transition in Asia: Opportunities and Challenges, Bangkok.Google Scholar
Abeykoon, A. T. P. L. (2009) Estimates of Abortion Rate in Sri Lanka using Bongaarts Model of Proximate Determinants of Fertility. The United Nations Population Fund, Colombo.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (1999) The fertility impact of changes in the timing of childbearing in the developing world. Population Studies 53, 277–289.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (2003) Completing the fertility transition in the developing world: the role of educational differences and fertility preferences. Population Studies 57(3), 321–335.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bongaarts, J. (2010) The causes of educational differences in fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty Gender and Youth, Population Council, Working Paper No. 20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caldwell, J. C. (1980) Mass education as a determinant of the timing of fertility decline. Population and Development Review 6, 225–255.Google Scholar
Caldwell, J. C. (1982) Theory of Fertility Decline. Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
Caldwell, B. (1996) The family and demographic change in Sri Lanka. Health Transition Review 6, 45–60.Google Scholar
Cleland, J. & Rodríguez, G. (1988) The effect of parental education on marital fertility in developing countries. Population Studies 42(3), 419–442.Google Scholar
De Silva, W. I. (1995) Revision of fertility preferences after achievement of intended births: the Sri Lankan experience . Journal of Family Welfare 41(4), 21–30.Google Scholar
De Silva, W. I. (1997) The practice of induced abortions in Sri Lanka. Research Paper No. 137. Takemi Programme in International Health, Harvard School of Public Health.Google Scholar
De Silva, W. I. (2015) Sri Lanka: Paradigm Shift in Population. National Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Colombo.Google Scholar
De Silva, W. I., Perera, B. N. & Anuranga, K. C. (2010) Below replacement to above replacement: dramatic increase of fertility and its determinants in Sri Lanka. Asia-Pacific Population Journal 25(2), 27–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Census and Statistics (1978) World Fertility Survey, Sri Lanka, 1975. First Report, Department of Census and Statistics, Colombo.Google Scholar
Department of Census and Statistics (1988) Demographic and Health Survey, Sri Lanka, 1988. Department of Census and Statistics, Colombo.Google Scholar
Department of Census and Statistics (1995) Demographic and Health Survey, Sri Lanka, 1993. Department of Census and Statistics, Colombo.Google Scholar
Department of Census and Statistics (2002) Demographic and Health Survey, Sri Lanka, 2000. Department of Census and Statistics, Colombo.Google Scholar
Department of Census and Statistics (2009) Demographic and Health Survey, Sri Lanka, 2006–07. Department of Census and Statistics, Colombo.Google Scholar
Department of Census and Statistics (2014) Census of Population and Housing 2012. Department of Census and Statistics, Colombo.Google Scholar
Dissanayake, L. (1996) The first generation with mass schooling and the fertility transition: the case of Sri Lanka. Health Transition Review 6, 137–154.Google Scholar
Dissanayake, L. (2016) When is Sri Lanka reaching replacement level of fertility? Sri Lanka Journal of Population Studies 15–16, 1–8.Google Scholar
Gubhaju, B. (2006) Fertility transition in Asia: an overview of levels and trends. Paper presented at the Seminar on the Fertility Transition in Asia: Opportunities and Challenges, UNESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand, 18–20th December.Google Scholar
McDonald, P. (2000) Gender equity, social institutions and the future of fertility. Journal of Population Research 17(1), 1–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, P. (2008) Very low fertility consequences: causes and policy approaches. Japanese Journal of Population 6(1), 19–23.Google Scholar
Maheswaran, U. & Perera, S. (2012) Fertility preference among married women in Sri Lanka: the role of modern contraceptive technology. Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2012, University of Colombo.Google Scholar
Pullum, T. W. (1980) Illustrative analysis fertility preferences in Sri Lanka. WFS Scientific Report No. 9, London.Google Scholar
Rajapaksha, L. C. (2002) Estimates of induced abortion in urban and rural Sri Lanka. Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka 7, 10–15.Google Scholar