title: Orphanhood and fertility in young adults: Evidence from South Africa.
abstract: I study the relation between orphanhood and fertility patterns in young adults using a longitudinal survey from the city of Cape Town, South Africa. The data set combines two survey waves with a year-by-year life history calendar that records key outcomes (e.g., schooling, work, fertility). It also provides information on so-called 'parental investments' (time and material support), family background, and literacy and numeracy test scores. I find that orphans exhibit significantly higher rates of teenage pregnancy. In particular, teenage motherhood is 19% points more likely among (female) orphans. These results suggest that orphanhood may leave a long-lasting 'imprint' in terms of premature fertility, especially in teenage females.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Administración y Empresa, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile. Electronic address: gbozzoli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlos G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Bozzoli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People; D054540:Child, Orphaned / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D063129:Parental Death; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fertility; Orphans; Parental investments; South Africa