Extreme Weather Events and Fertility Differentials and Trends in Bangladesh

Shah Md Atiqul Haq , Université Catholique de Louvain
Bruno D. Schoumaker, Université Catholique de Louvain

Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. In this study, we examine whether there is an association between the types of flooding and fertility. We hypothesize that fertility may be higher for areas which are the most vulnerable to flood event and at high risk for the impacts of flood event than other areas which are less susceptible to flood event and at low risk for the impacts of flood events. DHS geospatial data are used to link women’s fertility data (birth histories, fertility preferences, contraceptive use) and geocoded data on flood-prone areas. Multivariate analyses show that marital fertility is consistently high in areas affected by severe flash floods, reflecting both higher ideal family size and lower contraceptive use.

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 Presented in Session 3. Population, Development, & the Environment; Data & Methods; Applied Demography