Social Border and Fertility Transition in Senegal

Keita Ohashi, Université de Montréal

The 1999 ESIS data was used for the spatial analysis of fertility levels with an emphasis on the influence of ethnicity in the context of the ongoing fertility transition in Senegal. The concept of social border was tested with an aid of the geographic information system. The results of analysis show that a large portion of the variability in fertility between the two major ethnic groups, Wolof and Fulani, is accounted for by where people live, and a smaller fraction is accounted for by socio-demographic characteristics independent of location and ethnicity. In socio-cultural settings of Senegal, ethnicity is rather a minor determinant to explain the variations of the onset as well as the pace of the fertility transition, even though ethnic influence on reproductive behaviors should not be forgotten. The implications of these results for understanding the role of socio-cultural boundaries during the course of fertility transitions are discussed.