RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Demand Side of Africa’s Demographic Transition
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0724-13664R2
DO 10.3368/jhr.0724-13664R2
A1 Zipfel, Céline
YR 2026
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2026/04/01/jhr.0724-13664R2.abstract
AB This paper investigates the relationship between desired fertility, wealth, and female employment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While ideal family size is generally higher at all levels of wealth in SSA, the gap relative to other regions is substantially larger among poorer households and narrows with wealth. Additionally, poorer women in SSA are less likely to work for wages. Examining the relationship between these two patterns reveals a negative correlation between desired fertility and wage work prevalence across SSA provinces, a trend virtually absent in other regions. Furthermore, within SSA provinces, increases in the share of women engaged in wage work over time are associated with a flatter wealth-desired fertility gradient.