16/12/2025 - 12:45 - LECL 60 

Anna Jolivet

(UNamur)

will give a presentation on 

Kinship Structure and Fertility: evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

We examine the relationship between the social organization of communities, in particular their emphasis on lineage organization, and fertility. In lineage-based societies descent is traced primarily through either the mother's or the father's side, which strongly determines social identity, increases cohesion, and reinforces interdependence within the lineage. We show that, across countries, unilineal societies have higher fertility levels. These results are validated within sub-Saharan Africa using a spatial regression discontinuity design along ancestral ethnic boundaries. Among mechanisms explaining this difference, we highlight the role of the motive to continue the lineage.

More information about the speaker