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Household extension and reproductive behaviour in Taiwan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

C. Shannon Stokes
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Felicia B. LeClere
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Yeu-Sheng Hsieh
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

Summary

The influence of household type on reproductive behaviour is examined for a national probability sample of Taiwanese women. In spite of remarkable social and economic development over the past three decades, extended families are still widely found in Taiwan. Women in extended households have only slightly higher fertility preferences and current fertility than women in nuclear families once marital duration is controlled. Although women in extended households marry earlier and receive more family help with child care than women in nuclear households, such factors are no longer sufficient to produce major differentials in reproductive behaviour. The findings suggest that preferences for smaller families and low fertility need not await a transformation to a nuclear family structure.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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