In general there seems to be widespread agreement that fertility began to decline among all major population groups in South Africa prior to the end of apartheid. It occurred at a much faster level for Whites and Asians as compared to Africans and Coloureds. This occurred amidst the impoverishment of millions (especially African women), stark inequalities and the disempowerment of women. Although South Africa has undergone a dramatic political transition in the last decade, many of the distortions and dynamics introduced by apartheid continue to reproduce poverty and perpetuate inequality. The South African population policy (Dept. of Welfare, 1998) argues that the basic demographic factors fertility, migration and mortality are an integral part of poverty prevalence in South Africa. These demographic factors cannot be seen in isolation from social factors such as education, unemployment, poor health and housing quality and their interrelationships with poverty. Thus, on the one hand, poverty persists, while on the other hand, fertility declines. This is in stark contrast to the experience in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty usually goes hand in hand with high fertility. This paper investigates issues around lower fertility, factors contributing to it, its impact on the different population groups as well policies to address its impact.
1.1. South Africa's fertility compared to Sub-Saharan Africa
Figure I clearly illustrates that the South African fertility rate is significantly lower than that of other countries in Southern and East Africa. A steady decline in fertility in developing nations took place in the late 1980s and 1990s, especially in the regions of Asia and Latin America. In contrast, Africa and particularly sub-Saharan Africa still lag behind in fertility terms. Reasons for South Africa's low fertility compared to its neighbours is multifaceted which will be explained, later in more detail.
Figure I: Comparative levels of fertility in Southern and East Africa
Source: Population Reference Bureau, World Population Data Sheet, 2000 (Washington: PRB, 2000).
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