This thesis investigates differentials in the levels of fertility, nuptiality and contraceptive use in Liberia and Ghana, using data from the recent Demographic and Health Surveys in these countries. Of particular interest is the effect of the community in which a woman lives on her current and...

The paper proposes that whether period indicators are biased by timing effects depends on the objective of measurement. Several kinds of bias in the TFR are identified. Five reasons for measuring period fertility are distinguished: to explain fertility time trends, to anticipate future...

Contrary to the "marriage squeeze" hypothesis, brides and grooms appear to adapt to rather than to be constrained by the age distribution of partners available, even in extreme conditions. This is evident from the substantial variability through time in the proportions who marry a partner at...

In the debate on gender discrimination in India a frequently used measure is sex ratio. We propose a new indicator: dimorphism in the nutritional and health status approximated by mean stature which reflects the burden of workload, and differential access to food and health, that surviving boys...

This study examines the union and conception histories of Brazilian women aged 15-49 using the 1996 Demographic and Health Survey’s calendar data. The aim of the paper is twofold: firstly to explore the use of union histories in the DHS calendar data, which have not yet been used for union...