Education as policy: the impact of education on marriage, contraception, and fertility in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.

ABSTRACT

PIP: This study examined the effects of educational attainment on the timing of first union, contraceptive use, and fertility in Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia over the past 50 years. Data were obtained from World Fertility Surveys and Demographic and Health Surveys for Colombia (1976, 1986, and 1990); Peru (1977-78, 1986, and 1991-92); and Bolivia (1989 and 1993-94). Individual level data were used to examine the effects using various multivariate techniques: Cox proportional hazards models for age at first union; logistic models with controls for socioeconomic status for contraceptive use; and log linear techniques for fertility. Findings indicate a strong relationship between each demographic outcome: marriage age, contraceptive use, and fertility. In all countries, education influenced women's individual decisions about family formation. The strongest impact occurs between primary and secondary schooling, especially for marriage age. Increased educational attainment accounted for most of the decline in marriage rates over time. Increased education contributed to an increase in contraceptive use mostly in Peru. In Bolivia and Colombia, contraceptive availability was probably more important in the expansion of contraceptive use over time. Educational attainment over time only accounted for fertility decline in Peru and Colombia, and the effects were smaller than in other studies. Changes within educational categories appear to have contributed more to fertility decline than the expansion of educational opportunities. As countries progress through their transitions, there is a corresponding increase in contraceptive use and a later decline in actual fertility.