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Womens education and diffusion of the fertility transition: The case of Egypt 1960–1996 in 4905 administrative subdivisions

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Abstract

Egypt comprises thousands of small geographic units. Total fertility rates are reconstructed for the 4905qism, qarya, medina, markaz andshiyakhat covering non-desert Egypt at the 1960, 1976, 1986 and 1996 censuses. This fine spatial scale reveals that heterogeneity across subdivisions increased during the fertility transition, illustrating the rapidity of change. Spatial patterns appear in the fertility upsurge of 1974–85, which is accompanied by a large but temporary reduction in heterogeneity. Fertility varies greatly between subdivisions and geographic differentials underlie the expected and observed association between fertility, literacy, family transfers and industrialization. Cairo led the decline of fertility, but that decline is counterbalanced by rapid economic growth and persistently high levels of illiteracy. A similar pattern of fertility change is observed for the chief city of the Muhafaza and its surrounding area. Egypt presents an archetype of demographic transition as improved economic and educational status diffuses across the country, moderated by its specific geography.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. École des hautes études en sciences sociales, France

    Noël Bonneuil

  2. Lebanon

    Chouaa Dassouki

  3. Institut national détudes démographiques, 133 boulevard Davout, 75980, PARIS cedex 20, France

    Noël Bonneuil

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  1. Noël Bonneuil
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  2. Chouaa Dassouki
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Correspondence to Noël Bonneuil.

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Bonneuil, N., Dassouki, C. Womens education and diffusion of the fertility transition: The case of Egypt 1960–1996 in 4905 administrative subdivisions. Journal of Population Research 23, 27–39 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03031866

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