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Fertility and grandparents in Mexico's demographic transitions

Roxana Ivette Arana Ovalle, Université de Montréal
Lisa Dillon, Université de Montréal
Francisco Zamudio, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo
Alejandro Murua, Université de Montréal

Most households in Mexico are nuclear, but in 2020, 30% of households are extended. Our research reveals that in 1930 at least one grandparent inhabited 16% of households, and in 2015, grandparents are still present in 10% of households, mainly the grandmother. This research reveals that in pre-transitional Mexican society the presence of the grandmother in the household is associated with lower fertility in most of the population, except in the urban non-indigenous population, where the presence of the grandmother is associated with higher fertility as socioeconomic status increases. However, in 2015 grandmother’s presence is associated with higher fertility in all population status as socioeconomic status increases. This association is similar in 2015 when both grandparents are at home and is negative when only the grandfather is present in the household. This may indicate that the presence of the grandmother stimulates fertility by pressuring their daughters or daughters-in-law to have more children. However, what seems very plausible is that daughters feel that they can have more children because they will have the assistance of grandmothers in child rearing.

Keywords: Fertility and childbirth, Family demography, Historical demography/methods, Intergenerational relations

See paper.

  Presented in Session P23.