Third-child Fertility Intention in Morocco: Analysis of Determinants Using a Gender-intersectional Approach

Morocco has witnessed profound socio-economic and cultural transformations as a result of urbanization and industrialization. Although access to education and employment is unequal between men and women, the decline in fertility has triggered social mutations ranging from the lessening of the patriarchal system to the empowering of women. Each woman’s experience of gender inequality is different, depending on how her gender intersects with other factors such as disability, social class, age, place of residence, degree of autonomy and so on. These intersections create a unique experience of exclusion and marginalization, which has an impact on the risks and experiences that shape her fertility intentions. The gender-intersectional approach highlights the relationships between women’s social identities well beyond gender and the multidimensional nature of risk and exclusion concepts. Women who belong to a marginalized group such as those with a low level of education or a low wealth quintile, for example, are subject to increased discrimination and exclusion, particularly in terms of access to employment, education or health services. We used data from the latest National Population and Family Health Survey (NPFHS) held in 2018. The results show that the intention of transition to the third child occurs among women who are illiterate, inactive, victims of violence and have little decision-making power regarding their employment opportunities. In terms of spatial analysis, the transition to a third child occurs among women who live in an unequal relationship with their partners. However, this relationship is stronger in rural areas, where the perception and value of children is still high.

Population Review

Volume 63, Number 1, 2024

Type: Article, pp. 55-77

Third-child Fertility Intention in Morocco: Analysis of Determinants Using a Gender-intersectional Approach

Authors: Jackson Engala Moduka, Chaimae Drioui, Abdesselam Fazouane, & Rachid Touhtouh

Authors affiliations: Jackson Engala Moduka, Chaimae Drioui, and Rachid Touhtouh are affiliated with the National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics, GES3D Laboratory in Morocco. Abdesselam Fazouane is affiliated with the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

Corresponding author/address: Jackson Engala Moduka [email protected]

Abstract

Morocco has witnessed profound socio-economic and cultural transformations as a result of urbanization and industrialization. Although access to education and employment is unequal between men and women, the decline in fertility has triggered social mutations ranging from the lessening of the patriarchal system to the empowering of women. Each woman’s experience of gender inequality is different, depending on how her gender intersects with other factors such as disability, social class, age, place of residence, degree of autonomy and so on. These intersections create a unique experience of exclusion and marginalization, which has an impact on the risks and experiences that shape her fertility intentions. The gender-intersectional approach highlights the relationships between women’s social identities well beyond gender and the multidimensional nature of risk and exclusion concepts. Women who belong to a marginalized group such as those with a low level of education or a low wealth quintile, for example, are subject to increased discrimination and exclusion, particularly in terms of access to employment, education or health services. We used data from the latest National Population and Family Health Survey (NPFHS) held in 2018. The results show that the intention of transition to the third child occurs among women who are illiterate, inactive, victims of violence and have little decision-making power regarding their employment opportunities. In terms of spatial analysis, the transition to a third child occurs among women who live in an unequal relationship with their partners. However, this relationship is stronger in rural areas, where the perception and value of children is still high.

Keywords

Fertility intentions, gender, intersectionality, Morocco, NPFHS 2018

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