Association of Women’s Occupation with Actual and Desired Fertility in Bangladesh: A Case of Role Incompatibility

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Abstract

Background: Although an inverse association between women’s employment and fertility is widely reported in the context of developed countries, it remains unclear whether a similar association exists in lower-income and pro-natalist countries. This study examined the associations of women’s occupation with two outcomes of fertility-related behaviors – actual and desired fertility in Bangladesh.
Methods: The study used the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of Bangladesh. The analysis included 14,318 married women aged 18 years or older. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of women’s occupation with actual and desired fertility.
Results: In general, the regression analysis suggested that women’s labor force participation is inversely associated with actual and desired fertility in Bangladesh. Compared to non-working women, women in the professional/skilled sector were more likely to have 2 or fewer living children (OR=1.35; 95% CI=1.16-1.58) and 2 or fewer ideal number of children (OR=1.51 95% CI: 1.21-1.88) in the fully adjusted model. Further, the association significantly varies by the levels of mass media index such that women in the professional/skilled sector have a higher probability of having 2 or fewer living children at the higher levels of mass media index.
Conclusions: The findings have implications for social and population policies. Policymakers can promote income-generating activities and encourage women’s participation in economic spheres, which have the potential to lower the fertility and control population growth at the national level.

Authors

• Jalal Uddin, University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Helal Uddin, Lecturer, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

• Mostafizur Rahman, Dhaka University