Fertility behavior in Armenia and Moldova: the decline during the post-Soviet transition and current preferences

Sunnee Billingsley, Demography Unit, Stockholm University

This research seeks to further our knowledge regarding fertility decline in the post-soviet countries. Using DHS 2005 data for Armenia and Moldova, I examine elements of the fertility decline as well as current preferences toward childbearing. First, I estimate the extent to which a decline in fertility occurred during the tumultuous transition to political and economic independence. I will search for clues in the data that may tell us for whom and for which parity births the decline in childbearing was the greatest. The second aim of this paper is to analyze the possible role of modern contraception in this decline by examining take-up rates across cohorts. Finally, I analyze the role of socioeconomic characteristics in determining fertility preferences for having a/another child and the preferred timing for the next child.