Intergenerational Relationships between Fertility and Empowerment: The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Surveys (CLHNS)

Donna L. Ansara, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Jessica D. Gipson, University of California, Los Angeles
Socorro A. Gultiano, University of San Carlos
Michelle J. Hindin, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

This study explores intergenerational associations between maternal fertility and the reproductive outcomes of adult children in the Philippines. We also examine some of the mechanisms explaining these associations, including maternal empowerment. Data for this analysis was obtained from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), an ongoing study of a cohort of Filipino women and their index children. For sons, higher maternal fertility was associated with a lower likelihood of having sex by the age of 25 and a lower likelihood of using any method of contraception. For daughters, higher maternal fertility was associated with a higher likelihood of having sex and of getting married by the age of 25. There was also a positive association between maternal fertility and the number of pregnancies reported by daughters. Subsequent analyses will explore maternal status and empowerment as a possible mediator of these associations.