The Stability of Child Fostering in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Senegal

In sub-Saharan Africa, child out-fostering is a traditional social practice, and research suggests stable levels of out-fostering over time, yet the underlying demographic and socioeconomic factors driving this stability have remained largely unexplored. To gain insight into the prevalence and associations of child out-fostering and mothers' individual and household characteristics, we analyzed nine rounds of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of Senegalese mothers of children aged 0-14, collected between 1986 and 2019. Child out-fostering has remained stable, with nearly one-third of mothers of children aged 0-14 living apart from at least one child. Our findings indicate that at the macro-level, counteracting fertility and child mortality dynamics contribute to this stability. At the micro-level, out-fostering is influenced by a complex interplay of maternal demographic, socioeconomic, and household characteristics. The role of demographic macro-level factors demands further research attention in the context of persisting child fostering across sub-Saharan Africa. The results further suggest that changes, such as postponement of motherhood, as well as further declines in fertility and infant mortality, could affect fostering arrangements in the future.