BACKGROUND
According to the latest 2010 CDHS, Colombia’s total fertility rate (TFR) reached the
level of 2.1. Studies show that the long-observed early childbearing pattern there might
be changing, in particular for highly educated women, yet detailed analysis of timing of
motherhood by birth order is lacking. In low fertility contexts, changes in the timing of
childbearing are vital for interpreting period fertility measures and anticipating future
trajectories.
OBJECTIVE
To study the fertility trend in Colombia since 1990 and examine how the timing of
childbearing changed by birth order and across cohorts. The relationship between
education and timing of motherhood is analysed in depth across cohorts.
METHODS
To analyse the trend in fertility and timing of childbearing, order-specific mean age at
birth and tempo-adjusted TFR are calculated using CDHS. Discrete-time logit models
are fitted to study the transition to first and second births across cohorts and educational
groups.