Rising up: Fertility trends in Egypt before and after the revolution.

In 2014, Egypt's Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) documented an increase in the total fertility rate (TFR) to 3.5, up from a low of 3.0 recorded by the 2008 EDHS. The increase has been anecdotally attributed to the social upheaval following Egypt's January 2011 revolution, but little is known about when fertility first began to increase and among which sub-groups of women. Using birth histories from seven rounds of EDHS (1992-2014), this study reconstructed fertility rates for single years from 1990-2013 and examined patterns of childbearing in five-year birth cohorts of women. We found that the decline in fertility reversed in 2007, earlier than postulated, plateaued and then increased again in 2013. The increase in TFR coincided with a convergence of fertility rates across education levels, and there is evidence of a shift toward childbearing at younger ages among more educated women, which may be inflating period measures of fertility

Do public health services in Egypt help young married women exercise their reproductive rights?

AbstractObjectiveTo assess supply and demand of family planning services from a reproductive rights perspective among young married women (YMW) in Egypt.MethodsData sources related to family planning included structured interviews with service providers (n=216); an inventory of equipment and supplies (n=40); exit interviews with YMW (n=147); and focus group discussions (n=12) with YMW, husbands, and mothers and/or mothers in law. YMW, husbands and mothers in law were not necessarily related.ResultsAlthough family planning services were readily available and affordable, YMW had limited access to information and services. Shortfalls were noted regarding respect for privacy, choice of family planning method, access to fertility services, and premarital counseling. Few YMW had sufficient autonomy to make informed reproductive decisions. Effective accountability mechanisms and processes for redress were also lacking.ConclusionImplementation of a rights-based approach and structural changes to family planning service delivery are recommended to empower YMW in Egypt to demand and exercise their reproductive rights

Rising up: Fertility trends in Egypt before and after the revolution

© 2018 Radovich et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. In 2014, Egypt’s Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) documented an increase in the total fertility rate (TFR) to 3.5, up from a low of 3.0 recorded by the 2008 EDHS. The increase has been anecdotally attributed to the social upheaval following Egypt’s January 2011 revolution, but little is known about when fertility first began to increase and among which sub-groups of women. Using birth histories from seven rounds of EDHS (1992–2014), this study reconstructed fertility rates for single years from 1990–2013 and examined patterns of childbearing in five-year birth cohorts of women. We found that the decline in fertility reversed in 2007, earlier than postulated, plateaued and then increased again in 2013. The increase in TFR coincided with a convergence of fertility rates across education levels, and there is evidence of a shift toward childbearing at younger ages among more educated women, which may be inflating period measures of fertility

Annual TFRs by level of education, 1990–2013.

<p>Annual TFRs by level of education, 1990–2013.</p

Mean age at first marriage by five-year birth cohort, comparing all ever-married women and stratified by level of education.

<p>Mean age at first marriage by five-year birth cohort, comparing all ever-married women and stratified by level of education.</p

Annual TFRs (15–44), 1990–2013.

<p>Annual TFRs (15–44), 1990–2013.</p

Annual ASFRs for women under age 40 with secondary or higher education, 1990–2013.

<p>Annual ASFRs for women under age 40 with secondary or higher education, 1990–2013.</p

Annual TFRs by urban and rural residence, 1990–2013.

<p>Annual TFRs by urban and rural residence, 1990–2013.</p

Mean number of children ever born at mother's exact age by mother's five-year birth cohort.

<p>Mean number of children ever born at mother's exact age by mother's five-year birth cohort.</p

Mean number of children ever born to mothers with secondary or higher education by mother's five-year birth cohort.

<p>Mean number of children ever born to mothers with secondary or higher education by mother's five-year birth cohort.</p