Does Low Fertility Rates Lead to Women's Political Empowerment? a Global Analysis

What is the relationship between fertility rates and women's political empowerment? While numerous quantitative studies have suggested that lower fertility rates promote democracy and increase women's political participation, recent qualitative research has shown that motherhood can be a powerful motivator for women to engage in political affairs and social movements.

I collect data from over 170 countries over the past decade, analyzing variables such as fertility rates, the Women's Political Empowerment Index, GDP per capita, average age at first marriage, female tertiary education enrollment, and religion. Most existing indexes that measure women's political empowerment have focused narrowly on women in the political elite or overly broad categories. However, I use a new Women's Political Empowerment Index from V-Dem, which breaks down the concept into three critical dimensions: women's civil liberties, civil society participation, and political participation.

Using fixed effects model and bringing quantitative and qualitative findings into conversation, I re-examine the relationship between fertility rates and women's political empowerment. I argue that this relationship, whether positive or negative, potentially legitimizes political control over women’s reproduction to achieve state goals. Therefore, this study challenges the simplistic conclusions of previous quantitative studies, aiming to deepen our understanding of the complex relationship between women's reproduction and political empowerment.