Fertility and Climate Instability in Agriculturally-Dependent Contexts: Parity Transitions in Albania, Moldova, and Uzbekistan

Kathryn Grace , University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Sunnee Billingsley, Stockholm University

Climate change is anticipated to increase rainfall and temperature variability and extremes across the planet. Researchers have begun to focus attention on the behavioral and biological health effects of climate change but research addressing women’s reproductive health and fertility outcomes in a context of climate change is extremely limited. Climate instability occurs at very fine-scales and has the potential to impact the fertility behaviors and reproductive health outcomes of individuals and couples. In this paper we use a combination of survey data and high resolution climate data to focus on pregnancy timing and outcomes in three climate sensitive countries - Albania, Moldova and Uzbekistan. Contraception and abortion are wide-spread and culturally acceptable in these countries. Observing the link between climate and childbearing in settings of high fertility control allows us to investigate the sensitivity of biological mechanisms to climate instability and also those mechanisms relating to the demand for children.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 73. Demographic Dynamics, Environment and Development