Impact of internal migration on fertility in Cotonou, Benin Republic

Context/Background: In developing countries, fertility is usually higher in rural than urban areas. This is partly due to lower access to and utilization of reproductive health services in rural areas. However, migration to cities may alter the fertility behaviour of migrants from rural areas. Data Source and Methods: The study used 2012 Benin Republic Demographic and Health Survey data and focused on married women aged 15-49 years and residing in Cotonou (n=722). Tobit regression was employed for the multivariate-level analysis. Findings: The results showed that migrants adapt gradually to the fertility patterns of non-migrants. This gradual adaptation is compounded by a relative selectivity of migrants whose fertility preferences are similar to those of non-migrants. Finally, recent migrants for employment or school reason had the lowest number of births over the past five years, which supports the disruption hypothesis. Conclusion: The migration-fertility relationship depends on the length of residence, migrant' socioeconomic characteristics and reason for migration

Internal migration and unmet need for family planning in Cotonou, Benin Republic

Context/Background: Evidence shows that addressing the unmet need for FP of vulnerable groups such as rural-to-urban migrants is another alternative to lowering fertility in developing countries. This study examines how migration affects unmet need in Cotonou. Data Source and Methods: We employed multinomial logistic regression using 2012 Benin Republic Demographic and Health Survey data concerning 827 married women aged 15-49 years and residing in Cotonou. Findings: Findings show that recent migrants were less likely to have an unmet need than non-migrants. Then, earlier migrants and non-migrants had similar odds of unmet need. After adjusting for socioeconomic variables, the risks of unmet need for spacing and limiting among recent migrants decreased and increased, respectively, by 7%. Earlier migrants became significantly less likely to have an unmet need for spacing births than non-migrants. Conclusion: The odds of unmet need are lower among migrants than non-migrants, but complementary research on migrants' fertility in Cotonou is necessary before any conclusion33