Muslim and Non-Muslim Differences in Female Autonomy and Fertility: Evidence from Four Asian Countries

On the basis of research on paired Muslim and non-Muslim communities selected in India, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, the authors test the hypothesis that greater observed Muslim pronatalism can be explained by less power or lower autonomy among Muslim women. Indeed, wives in the Muslim c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Population and development review 2002-09, Vol.28 (3), p.515-537
Main Authors: Morgan, S. Philip, Stash, Sharon, Smith, Herbert L., Mason, Karen Oppenheim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asia
Autonomy
Autonomy (Philosophy)
Buddhism
Children
Communities
Comparative studies
Contraception
Culture
Data and Perspectives
Demography
Development studies
Economic conditions
Family Planning
Female fertility
Females
Fertility
Fertility, Human
Freedom of movement
Hindus
Human fertility
Human reproduction
India
Islam
Legal status, laws, etc
Malaysia
Married women
Muslim communities
Muslim women
Muslims
Patriarchy
Philippines
Reproductive health
Sexual behavior
Social aspects
Social conditions
South East Asia
Statistics
Thailand
Wives
Women
Women, Muslim
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Summary:On the basis of research on paired Muslim and non-Muslim communities selected in India, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, the authors test the hypothesis that greater observed Muslim pronatalism can be explained by less power or lower autonomy among Muslim women. Indeed, wives in the Muslim communities, compared to the non-Muslim ones: 1) had more children, 2) were more likely to desire additional children, and 3) if they desired no more children, were less likely to be using contraception. However, the authors do not find that Muslim communities consistently score lower on dimensions of women's power/autonomy. Thus, aggregate-level comparisons provide little evidence of a relationship between lower autonomy and higher fertility. Individual-level multivariate analysis of married women in these paired settings similarly suggests that women's autonomy differentials do not account for the higher fertility, demand for more children, and less use of contraception among Muslim wives. These results suggest that explanations for Muslim/non-Muslim fertility differences lie elsewhere.
ISSN:0098-7921
1728-4457
DOI:10.1111/j.1728-4457.2002.00515.x