Exploring the correlation between sociodemographic factors and women's fertility in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

The article aims to study the impact of sociodemographic factors on the probability of having children among women from the Republic of Moldova. The research is based on the data of the demographic study Generations and Gender conducted in Moldova in 2020. The probability of a woman having at least one child during her lifetime is influenced by her level of education and place of residence. Women with higher education and those from urban areas tend to have a lower probability of having a child at a young age. Women from the municipality of Chisinau also have a lower probability of having at least one child by the age of 30. Postponing the birth of the first child to older ages implies a lower probability for women to have children of higher birth orders. Women with higher education have a 65.6% probability of giving birth to two children and a 16.9% probability of giving birth to three children. Similarly, in urban areas, there is a significantly lower probability of having no less than two children (60.7%) and three children (16.4%). In the municipality of Chisinau, the probability of having a second child is 53.1% and the third child is 12.3%. The article was elaborated within the State Program Project (2020-2023) 20.80009.0807.21 „Migration, demographic changes, and situation stabilization policies”.