Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Determinants and Consequences of Women's Fertility Preferences and Fertility in a Rapidly Acculturating Population

博士生丽莎麦卡利斯特，在圣巴巴拉的加州大学的迈克尔古尔文博士的指导下，将调查妇女生育偏好的决定因素和后果。在许多小规模社会中，生育率并没有像预期的那样下降。本研究将详细调查文化适应和社会经济发展对生育率和生育偏好的影响，以更全面地阐明高生育率持续存在的原因。研究将在玻利维亚中部的美洲印第安人Tsimane中进行。女性的生育偏好被认为受到以下因素的影响：（1）经济因素;（2）文化因素;（3）女性对自己生育偏好的看法。为了调查这三个关键领域如何受到社会经济发展的影响，以及它们如何影响妇女的生育偏好，将对240名Tsimane妇女进行三次结构化访谈。这些将包括生育偏好访谈、资源价值访谈以及人口和健康访谈。 这项研究的意义在于，它将帮助社会科学家理解为什么某些社会的生育率下降缓慢。它还将帮助决策者协助转型社会中的妇女实现其生殖目标并提高其社会经济地位。 因此，在研究结束时，将在Tsimane村庄举办计划生育和产妇保健讲习班，并向Tsimane和玻利维亚政府及其他机构报告研究结果。 资助这项研究也支持研究生的教育。

Doctoral student Lisa McAllister, supervised by Dr. Michael Gurven, of the University of California at Santa Barbara, will investigate the determinants and consequences of women's fertility preferences. In many small-scale societies, fertility is not declining as expected. This study will investigate in detail the effects of acculturation and socioeconomic development on fertility and fertility preferences to elucidate more fully what the reasons are for the continuation of high fertility. Research will be carried out among the Tsimane, Amerindian forager-horticulturists of central Bolivia. Women's fertility preferences are posited to be influenced by: (1) economic factors; (2) cultural factors; and (3) women's perceptions of fertility preferences for them. To investigate how these three key areas are affected by socioeconomic development and how they influence women's fertility preferences, three structured interviews will be conducted with each of 240 Tsimane women. These will include fertility preference interviews, resource value interviews and demographic and health interviews. The significance of the research is that it will help social scientists understand why fertility rates are slow to decline in some societies. It also will help policy makers assist women in transitioning societies to achieve their reproductive goals and improve their socioeconomic status. Thus, at the end of the study family planning and maternal health workshops will be run in Tsimane villages and reports of the findings given to the Tsimane and Bolivian government and other agencies. Funding this research also supports the education of a graduate student.