Scientific Presentations

LabTalks@­SocialDemography

Department Social Demography
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), Rostock, Germany, March 11, 2025

1:00 PM: Talk with Susie Lee - Age at menarche and timing of first birth: Consistency and changing patterns in the Global South

Abstract

Menarche –the first occurrence of menstruation– is a key milestone in the reproductive lifespan of a woman. Earlier studies have shown that age at menarche (AAM) is positively associated with the timing of first sexual intercourse, marriage, and birth, suggesting a complex biological and sociocultural pathway linking menarche to reproductive transition. However, it is unknown whether, and if so how, AAM continues to play a role in the reproductive transitions in more recent birth cohorts, a surprising gap given that both AAM and the timing of major reproductive events have been undergoing substantial changes over the last decades. The present study aims to provide an up-to-date examination of the link between AAM and consequent reproductive transitions and their changing patterns in the Global South. We used Demographic Health Surveys that included a question on AAM. Our preliminary findings suggest that AAM continues to be positively correlated with age at first births, but the association is stronger in low-educated groups. The association also changes over time, and we note some country differences and the role of women’s empowerment therein. In the next step of this research, we will also examine fecundity and age at first marriage as biological and social mechanisms, respectively, driving the link between AAM and age at first births.

Room 400 and Zoom

Please register via email (office-myrskyla@demogr.mpg.de) for online participation. The Zoom link will be sent to you afterwards.

LabTalk, March, 11th from 1 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Rostock time)