COHORT DIFFERENCES IN THE SEQUENCING OF MARRIAGE AND BIRTH AMONG WOMEN IN THE PHILIPPINES

ZYRALIE A. LOTIVIO
MA DEMOGRAPHY (APRIL 2010)
Population Institute

Abstract

This research argues that the sequencing of marriage and first birth among Filipino women is changing by comparing the timing of marriage and first birth of different cohorts. This study used the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey. Through multinomial logit regression, this study found that although majority of women still follow the normative sequencing of marriage and birth, there is increasing deviation from the nom among younger cohorts, all other things being equal. This departure from the normative sequencing of marriage and birth can be traced from the social changes brought about by modernization during their respective periods of exposure to the risk of marriage and pregnancy. The increasing prevalence of short birth interval among the youngest cohorts suggests the emerging phenomenon of premarital conceptions. However, the hypothesis that those women who grew up in the urban area are more likely to deviate from the normative sequence than those who were raised in the rural area is not validated in this research. What emerged as important factors related to marriage and birth sequencing are education, type of work, and socioeconomic status.