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Cambodia's Fertility Transition: The Dynamics of Contemporary Childbearing
Author(s) -
Hukin Eleanor
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
population and development review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.836
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1728-4457
pISSN - 0098-7921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2014.00003.x
Subject(s) - fertility , kinship , context (archaeology) , natural fertility , demographic economics , total fertility rate , affect (linguistics) , sociology , ethnography , reproduction , politics , agriculture , economic growth , geography , political science , development economics , socioeconomics , economics , population , demography , family planning , ecology , archaeology , communication , anthropology , law , research methodology , biology
Cambodia is undergoing a fertility transition, with the total fertility rate falling from 6.7 before 1970 to 3.0 in 2010. This study is the first to examine the contemporary context of childbearing in Cambodia and the drivers of this transition, analyzing the articulations of men and women and the rationales behind their fertility intentions and behavior. Findings are derived from 21 months of ethnographic fieldwork in urban and rural settings in Siem Reap. The article explains how patterns of reproduction are shaped by the specific context and social organization, the political economy, gender relations, and kinship system. In Cambodia, changes in employment conditions, agricultural systems, and living arrangements create new motivations that in turn affect fertility decisions. In post‐conflict Cambodia rationales related to lineage continuation and the effects of the Khmer Rouge period also emerge as important influences.