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Mezgebo Gebretsadikan, Mekele University
Krishna Ponnapalli, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Childbearing indices (CIs) namely age at first birth, age at last birth, reproductive life span, etc., found to be very useful in understanding progress made in fertility transition (FT) of any country. Information on these indices directly available from DHS surveys, but quality of information collected depends on several factors. In 1990, Horne et al. suggested a procedure to derive these indices from ASFRs using a mathematical model. In case of Ethiopia, it seems, so far no researcher attempted to study FT using CIs. The present study thus aims at studying FT in Ethiopia and its regions using the CIs. In order to derive the CIs, first of all, for Ethiopia as a whole, a set of ASFRs corresponding to a given TFR were derived. This was made possible by means of a model fertility table (MFT) earlier developed by the researchers. Secondly, CIs corresponding to TFRs derived from the above ASFRs and Horne et al., procedure. Data on TFRs of Ethiopia and its regions of various EDHS served as the main input for the present study. Findings of this study indicates that Childbearing transition is well in progress in Ethiopia and its regions, exceptions being Somalia and Affar regions.
Keywords: Fertility and childbirth, Methodology