Cohort Shifts in the Timing of Births in Ghana

This article uses data from the Ghana Fertility Survey (GFS) 1979/1980 to examine the changing pattern of fertility behavior through the timing of births among different birth cohorts representing the onset of the fertility transition. Although the cohort changes expected do not appear to be large, there is some evidence of a pattern of birth intervals which suggests that the younger birth cohorts have shorter durations between marriage and first birth, and a slower pace for childbearing thereafter. Older women, on the other hand, exhibit relatively longer intervals from marriage to first birth and a little shorter intervals for their next births. In contrast to some previous studies, these patterns indicate that shorter intervals are not necessarily associated with shorter subsequent intervals and vice versa. The changing social meaning of marriage, increasing opportunities for the younger generation of women and prevalence of family limitation measures appear to have caused the recent changes in the fertility behavior of Ghanaian women. The composite effect of the socio-economic and cultural variables on the timing of births in Ghana will be the focus of future studies.