The effect of child survival on fertility in Zimbabwe: a micro-macro level analysis

The literature on the effect of fertility on child survival is extensive especially since the accumulation of data from the World Fertility, and Demographic and Health Surveys. Comparatively, empirical studies examining the other side of the relationship--the effect of child survival on fertility--are sparse although theoretical considerations suggest the interdependence of child survival and fertility. Furthermore, the relationship of child survival and fertility is often examined at the micro-level. There is growing recognition, however, that this relationship may be also influenced by macro-level factors. This study attempts to measure the effect of child survival on birth intervals in Zimbabwe using a micro-macro analytical approach based on the individual and community data from the 1988 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, and the 1989/1990 Zimbabwe Service Availability Survey, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that there is a replacement effect in the relationship between child survival and fertility independent of individual characteristics of women in Zimbabwe. The analysis also showed that health interventions as measured by coverage and visit by a mobile family planning clinic, and access to a health service have differential impact on fertility in Zimbabwe controlling for the survival status of the previous to the last child and individual characteristics of the women.