Determinants and fertility consequences of consensual unions in Costa Rica.

Abstract

This study explores the nature of consensual unions and the relationship between union type and fertility. With respect to unions I hypothesize that regional differences in socio-economic, demographic, and ethnic characteristics indirectly influence the level of consensual unions through their impact on intermediate women's status variables. An aggregate analysis of 1963, 1973, and 1984 censuses, with counties as the unit of analysis, is used to examine the determinants of the proportion of consensual unions. Furthermore, a multilevel analysis, with individual and aggregate-level variables, uses data from the Costa Rican 1976 World Fertility Survey (WFS) and the 1973 census to analyze the determinants of union formation. The women's status variables used in the aggregate analysis (female to male ratios of labor force participation and education) are important determinants of the proportion of consensual unions when they are interacted with region. Of the individual women's status variables in the multilevel analysis, a positive response to questions on abortion, and the age difference between the couple, are important determinants of entry into a consensual union (for first unions). In neither the aggregate nor the multilevel analysis do the women's status indicators act as intermediate variables. With regard to fertility, this study examines the impact of exposure time (the amount of time spent with a partner or partners), number of unions, and differences in socio-economic background, on the fertility differential by union type. Separate Ordinary Least Squares, log-transformed and Poisson models are run by union status using WFS data, with children ever born as the dependent variable. A regression decomposition technique is then used to examine the contribution of the independent variables to the fertility differential. The results show that higher fertility among women in consensual unions can be attributed to their lower education and to their increased likelihood of bearing children outside of unions. In addition to the statistical analysis, focus groups were conducted in two communities. The discussions reveal an awareness of the unstable nature of consensual unions and the importance of children for creating a securer bond within such unions.