Delaying Motherhood: Behavioral And Socio-Demographic Determinants Of Early Childbearing In Tajikistan

Empirical studies show that age at first birth is an important factor in family planning in developedcountries. However, the role of women’s age at first birth in family planning remains relatively underexploredin lower-middle-income countries, including Tajikistan. This study uses the 2023 Tajikistan Demographicand Health Survey (DHS) data and applies an instrumental-variable probit model. The results indicate thatbehavioral and socio-demographic factors, including contraceptive use, women’s educational attainment, andhousehold wealth status, are statistically associated with delaying early motherhood. The findings also show thatwomen’s wealth status and their spouses’ occupational status have similar associations with early motherhood,as both are linked to a lower likelihood of postponing early motherhood. Compared with women who madecontraceptive decisions jointly with their partners, women who made such decisions independently were morelikely to have their first birth after age 20. Similarly, cases in which husbands made contraceptive decisionswere also positively associated with delaying early motherhood. By contrast, women whose contraceptivedecisions were made by another person were less likely to delay early motherhood. Overall, women’s highereducation and their participation in contraceptive decision-making appear to be important policy priorities foreffective family planning. Future research on the causal relationship between women’s health and the use ofmodern contraceptives in Tajikistan and comparable low-income contexts may contribute to the developmentof more effective health policy.