Fertility and the Household Division of Labor Among the Maragoli of Western Province Kenya: A Pilot Study

该奖项允许研究者在肯尼亚进行为期三个月的试点研究。主要目标是测试生育率理论，即考德威尔（1982）的财富流动理论。这一理论认为，人们根据自己对经济和社会责任的认识来计划家庭规模，而经济和社会责任会随着收入水平和接受高等教育和培训的机会而变化。他们的收入越高，他们的培训/教育就越好，他们对家庭的责任就越集中在核心家庭而不是大家庭上，他们就越不需要依靠众多的后代来照顾他们的晚年。本研究假设财富流动理论比另一种被称为“儿童经济价值”的模型更能解释肯尼亚西部省维亚洛亚区马拉戈利的人口状况。研究者将收集时间分配数据和人口统计信息来检验这些假设。自1975年以来，一位肯尼亚合作者一直在研究这个地区，因此这项研究将建立在这个社区的纵向数据库上。这项研究是有价值的，因为更好地了解发展中国家人口增长下降的原因是至关重要的。这一试点项目将为实现这一目标提供宝贵的资料。

This award allows the investigator to do a three month pilot study in Kenya. The primary goal is to test a theory of fertility, namely Caldwell's (1982) wealth flows theory. This theory posits that people plan their family size in response to their appreciation of their economic and social responsibilities, which change with their level of income and access to superior education and training. The higher their income, the better their training/education, the more their responsibilities towards family focus upon the nuclear rather than the extended family, and the less they need to rely upon numerous offspring to look after them in their old age. The research hypothesizes that wealth flows theory will explain the demographic situation among the Maragoli of Viyalo Sublocation, Western Province, Kenya better than an alternative model known as the "economic value of children" perspective. The researcher will collect time allocation data and demographic information to test these hypotheses. The area has been studied by a Kenyan collaborator since 1975, so this research will build on a longitudinal data base for this community. This research is valuable because improved understanding of the causes of lowered population growth in the developing world is of critical importance. This pilot project will yield valuable information towards that goal.