Perceived Costs and Benefits of Children in Ouagadougou

Karim YELBI, Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP), Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo
Moussa Bougma, Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP)
Clémentine Rossier, University of Geneva, Institute of demography and Socioeconomics

Research shows that most sub-Saharan African countries have begun their fertility transition (Bongaarts and Casterline, 2013; Timaeus and Moultrie, 2020), although this transition has a particular character (Caldwell et al., 1992; Millogo, 2020). In Burkina Faso, the fertility rate has been declining for two to three decades. The TFR at the national level has decreased from 6.5 to 4.4 children per woman between 1993 and 2021. In Ouagadougou, it has varied from 6.2 to 3.1 over the same period (INSD and ICF, 1994 & 2023). Among the factors cited in the literature to explain the decline in fertility is the value of children, which is rarely studied in our context, particularly in demography, even though the perceived costs and benefits of children are an essential component of fertility motivations and behaviors (Meyer, 1981; Chen, 1984). In Burkina Faso, the topic is current and has clear programmatic implications. But how do we measure the perceived costs and benefits of children? What are the different perceived costs and benefits of children in Ouagadougou? How are these perceived costs and benefits distributed according to certain characteristics.

Keywords: Fertility

See extended abstract.