DELAYING MOTHERHOOD: BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF EARLY CHILDBEARING IN TAJIKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20629027Ключевые слова:
contraceptives; family planning; lower-middle-income countries; modern contraceptives; women’s educationАннотация
Empirical studies show that age at first birth is an important factor in family planning in developed
countries. However, the role of women’s age at first birth in family planning remains relatively underexplored
in lower-middle-income countries, including Tajikistan. This study uses the 2023 Tajikistan Demographic
and Health Survey (DHS) data and applies an instrumental-variable probit model. The results indicate that
behavioral and socio-demographic factors, including contraceptive use, women’s educational attainment, and
household wealth status, are statistically associated with delaying early motherhood. The findings also show that
women’s wealth status and their spouses’ occupational status have similar associations with early motherhood,
as both are linked to a lower likelihood of postponing early motherhood. Compared with women who made
contraceptive decisions jointly with their partners, women who made such decisions independently were more
likely to have their first birth after age 20. Similarly, cases in which husbands made contraceptive decisions
were also positively associated with delaying early motherhood. By contrast, women whose contraceptive
decisions were made by another person were less likely to delay early motherhood. Overall, women’s higher
education and their participation in contraceptive decision-making appear to be important policy priorities for
effective family planning. Future research on the causal relationship between women’s health and the use of
modern contraceptives in Tajikistan and comparable low-income contexts may contribute to the development
of more effective health policy.
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