Shrinkage and Persistent Complexity of Latin American and Caribbean Households amidst Fertility Decline, 1960-2020

Federica Becca, Centre for demographic research (CED), Barcelona
Albert Esteve, Center for Demographic Studies (Barcelona)
Andrés Castro Torres, Max Planck Institute for demographic Research

Over the past six decades, significant demographic and familial changes, as the rapid fertility decline, took place in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), impacting household size and structure. Leveraging a comprehensive dataset comprising 141 country-year samples from census and survey microdata across 27 LAC countries, we propose an overview of regional trends in household size and composition. We measure changes in average household size, household composition by members’ relationship to the household head, and the evolution of female headship. Findings show a generalized shrinkage in household size, mirroring trends in fertility decline, albeit with sub-regional variations. Analyzing changes in members' relationships over time reveals that children are the main drivers of the household shrinking. The analysis also unveils the enduring complexity of household composition, namely of extended family structures. Female-headed households, characterized by more complex structures than their counterparts, significantly increased. This partly explains the persistency of extended households in LAC. Alongside, a gradual convergence between male and female-headed households in the average number of children per household is confirmed. The results challenge theories positing a global convergence towards nuclear family structures. Overall, LAC's demographic and familial transformations underscore the interplay between shrinking household size and persistent household complexity.

Keywords: Families, Unions and Households, Fertility

See paper.