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Cambodia's Fertility Transition: The Dynamics of Contemporary Childbearing

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  • Eleanor Hukin

Abstract

type="main"> Cambodia is undergoing a fertility transition, with the total fertility rate falling from 6.7 before 1970 to 3.0 in 2010. This study is the first to examine the contemporary context of childbearing in Cambodia and the drivers of this transition, analyzing the articulations of men and women and the rationales behind their fertility intentions and behavior. Findings are derived from 21 months of ethnographic fieldwork in urban and rural settings in Siem Reap. The article explains how patterns of reproduction are shaped by the specific context and social organization, the political economy, gender relations, and kinship system. In Cambodia, changes in employment conditions, agricultural systems, and living arrangements create new motivations that in turn affect fertility decisions. In post-conflict Cambodia rationales related to lineage continuation and the effects of the Khmer Rouge period also emerge as important influences.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleanor Hukin, 2014. "Cambodia's Fertility Transition: The Dynamics of Contemporary Childbearing," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 40(4), pages 605-628, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:popdev:v:40:y:2014:i:4:p:605-628
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2014.00003.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. World Bank, 2013. "Where Have All the Poor Gone? : Cambodia Poverty Assessment 2013," World Bank Publications - Reports 17546, The World Bank Group.
    2. Patrick Heuveline & Bunnak Poch, 2007. "The phoenix population: Demographic crisis and rebound in Cambodia," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(2), pages 405-426, May.
    3. Jejeebhoy, Shireen J., 1998. "Adolescent sexual and reproductive behavior: a review of the evidence from India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1275-1290, March.
    4. Patrick Heuveline & Bunnak Poch, 2006. "Do marriages forget their past? Marital stability in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(1), pages 99-125, February.
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