“Cementing” Marriages through Childbearing in Subsequent Unions: Insights into Fertility Differentials among First-Time Married Women and Remarried Women in Ghana

Gertrude E Elleamoh, University of Ghana
Fidelia A. A. Dake, University of Ghana

There is a growing body of research on the factors that account for the stall of fertility in some sub-Saharan African countries but research on the contribution of type of union is limited. This study examined fertility differentials by type of union among 6,285 ever married Ghanaian women aged 15-49 years. In the unadjusted model, fertility among remarried women was observed to be higher by about 0.3 children compared to women who were in a first-time marriage but in the fully adjusted model, there were no significant differences in the fertility of first-time married and remarried women. However, fertility of women who were in union in a second or higher order union was significantly higher (ß=0.135, p<0.001) than their counterparts who have been married more than once but were not currently in union. The findings indicate that fertility among remarried women is uniquely different and thus requires specific policy interventions.