Syrian Refugee Women’s Empowerment and Fertility: Evidence From Jordan

Goleen Samari , Columbia University

Fertility is higher among Syrian refugees in Jordan compared to Syrian women in Syria before the 2011 Civil War. Dimensions of women's empowerment, like higher status and greater agency, are associated with sexual and reproductive health outcomes, including lower fertility. No study examines how the relationship between women's agency and fertility may vary among forced migrants displaced because of war/conflict. This study examines women’s agency and fertility among Syrian refugee women and Jordanian women in Jordan, including those in urban, rural and camp settings. Using the 2016 Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey and birth histories for ever-married women 15 to 49 years old, a series of logistic, Poisson, and event history models are estimated for total fertility in 2016. Syrian refugees are significantly different from Jordanian women across several indicators of women’s empowerment. However, for both forced migrants and women from Jordan, greater agency is associated with higher fertility.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 93. Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health in Conflict and Emergency Settings