Reproductive Trajectories of Indigenous Mexican Women

Reproductive Trajectories of Indigenous Mexican Women

Fertility levels in Mexico had a sharp drop in the last forty years, from an average of 6 children per woman in 1975 to 2.2 children in 2014. However, results from several research have shown this decline occurred differently among women from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. In particular, they have consistently shown a delay in fertility decline and persistent higher levels of fertility among indigenous women compared to non-indigenous ones, as well as a tendency among the former to suffer more underserved complications during pregnancy.

This paper analyzes and compare the reproductive behavior dynamics of Mexican indigenous and non-indigenous women throughout their reproductive lives. From a life course perspective the focus is not only on the total fertility levels reached by women at the end of their fertile period, but mainly on the ways those levels are reached.

Based on reproductive histories of women and by using event history analysis and sequence analysis techniques, reproductive trajectories of women are built and analyzed. Trajectories are built taking into account the occurrence of reproductive events such as pregnancies, abortions, stillbirths and childbirths, whose frequency, timing and sequencing are analyzed. The aim is to provide an overview of the reproductive dynamics of indigenous and no-indigenous women, to identify and understand the similarities and differences between them.

Data used come from the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics (ENADID) conducted in 2014, which collected longitudinal and retrospective reproductive information for a sample of 98,711 women of reproductive age. The analysis is performed for women whose fertility is considered complete (45-49 years old at the survey time), as well as for those aged 30-34 as a way to analyze recent changes among younger women.