Does sex composition of offspring relate to fertility in urban areas? The case of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

With the onset of the demographic transition in sub-Saharan Africa, couples’ desired number of children and the sex composition of offspring may become conflicted, with potential effects on future fertility. While intuitively expected, this effect has not been observed in studies in sub-Saharan Africa, where the level of fertility is higher than in other African regions. In this study, the hypothesis of a conflicted situation was examined by assessing the effect of sex composition of offspring on women’s intentions regarding additional children and their use of modern contraceptives. A mixed-method analysis was performed using quantitative data regarding 2567 women aged 35–49 years drawn from a 2012 Demtrend retrospective longitudinal population survey, supplemented by qualitative data collected through 23 in-depth interviews of men and women in Ouagadougou. Results showed that the absence of one sex (boy or girl) in the existing offspring was associated with additional demand for children and lower contraceptive use. These results suggest that a desire for a combination of both girls and boys may be the driving factor contributing to larger family size; that is, continued fertility may not be determined by son preference, but rather by overall composition of offspring, when existing children are all girls or all boys. This could explain the stalling of the fertility decline observed in recent years in Ouagadougou.

Equilibrium and -efficient fertility with increasing returns to population and endogenous mortality

A general equilibrium model that characterizes the gap between optimal and equilibrium fertility and investment in human capital is developed. The aggregate production function exhibits increasing returns to population arising from specialization, but households face a quantity–quality trade-off when choosing their fertility and how much education these children receive. We show that equilibrium fertility is too low and investment per child is too high, in contrast to a current planner who internalizes the externality of current fertility on the next generation's productivity. We next introduce mortality of young adults in the model and assume that households have a precautionary demand for children. Human capital investment lowers next generation mortality. This model endogenously generates a demographic transition but, since households do not internalize the negative effects of human capital on mortality, the equilibrium demographic transition takes place many years later than the efficient solution. We show that ${\rm {\cal A}}$-efficient fertility and human capital investment pair can switch; in high-mortality regimes, ${\rm {\cal A}}$-efficient fertility is lower than equilibrium fertility, and ${\rm {\cal A}}$-efficient human capital investment is higher than equilibrium investment. In the zero mortality regime, however, ${\rm {\cal A}}$-efficient fertility exceeds equilibrium fertility, and ${\rm {\cal A}}$-efficient human capital investment is lower than the equilibrium choice.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a specific kind of human trafficking. It is the trafficking of people for the sale or exchange of sexual acts to another where, typically, a third party benefits. These third parties are referred to as traffickers though they can also be referred to as “pimps.” Even in the absence of a third party, the sale or exchange of sexual acts with a minor to another is commercial sexual exploitation. Unfortunately, the commercial sexual exploitation of children is appealing because it is highly profitable. Children and youth are sought after by traffickers because the demand for children and youth is high among those who pay for sex. In addition, traffickers tend to target young girls and boys who may be homeless, living in group homes, have a history of trauma, or are otherwise vulnerable. Previously, when children were identified or found to be commercially sexually exploited they were considered child prostitutes. More recently, this narrative has changed, with the recognition that there is no such thing as a child prostitute. Policies regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children have also changed to more accurately recognize and treat children and youth as victims in need of support or services. This more accurate reframing of the issue, along with the increase in attention to the issue, has led to a proliferation of efforts in many public service systems, including criminal, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems, to respond to commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) differently—specifically, to focus on identifying and protecting victims of CSE and providing the most appropriate services to victims. Despite these changes and increased focus on the issue, true prevalence rates of CSE are unknown and service systems often struggle with how to best serve children and youth who have experienced CSE.

Analisis Permintaan Pendidikan Tinggi Pada Anak di Kecamatan Kamang Baru Kabupaten Sijunjung

This research aims to analyze (1) Effect of Education Costs on Higher Education Demand for Children in Kamang Baru Sub-district, (2) Effect of Parental Education Level on Higher Education Demand for Children in Sub-Districts Kamang Baru, (3) The influence of the desire to work in the modern sector of the demand for higher education in children in the Kamang Baru sub-district, (4) the influence of the desire to obtain high income towards the demand for higher education in children in the Kamang Baru sub-district, (5) the influence of the social status of the community on demand for higher education in children in the district of Kamang Baru. The study population of this research is families with children who had graduated from high school in Kamang Baru sub-district. The sampling technique is multistage random sampling with a total sample of 92. Data analysis techniques using multiple regression analysis with the significance test of the t test and F. The results showed that (1) Education costs had a significant negative effect on the demand for higher education in children. (2) The level of parental education has a significant effect on the demand for higher education in children ( 3) The desire to work in the modren sector significantly influences the demand for higher education in children, (4) The desire to obtain high income has a significant effect on the demand for higher education in children (5) Public social status significantly influence the p Higher education demand for children.