Partner Age Gaps and Desired Family Size in West Africa

Ashwini Shridhar, University of Minnesota
Anna Bolgrien, University of Minnesota

Significant age gaps are a common feature of West African relationships, with men typically more than 8 years older than women. Heterogeneity in partner age gaps within and between West African countries is underexplored. Large partner age gaps also affect fertility, as older male partners can exert more power over their younger female partners and influence fertility preferences. In this paper, we 1) map the evolution of partner age gaps over time across multiple geographic and demographic dimensions in West Africa; and 2) for a subset of West African countries, ask whether partner age gaps are correlated with larger desired family sizes. We use spatially harmonized geographic information and microdata from IPUMS International and IPUMS Global Health for 17 West African countries spanning from 1960 to the present. Comprehensively exploring partner age gaps will inform fertility policies that account for male influence on female fertility in West Africa.