Luigi Di Comite, Agata V. D'Addato, Daniele Vignoli

Politiche e prassi demografiche nel bacino mediterraneo: la transizione della fecondità in Egitto tra tradizione e sviluppo   

214

Gennaio-Aprile 2007

Anno LXXII    n. 1

Summary - Egypt is the only country of the Arab world which is located between two continents (Africa and Asia ). Its geographical position and its demographic size as well lead Egypt to play a traditionally relevant geo-political and socio-economic role both in the Arab world and in the Mediterranean Basin . The objective of this study is to review the extent and the pace of fertility transition (and its policy implications) involving the country. The moderate diffusion of a spread education, the urbanization of only some areas mainly located in the Northern part of the country, the still limited female participation in the labor market, are all aspects that have influenced the Egyptian stagnant fertility decline. All these factors, together with the slow secularization of innovative reproductive behaviors, analyzed at the micro level as determinants of the propensity to have the third child in Egypt , seem to significantly discriminate women’s reproductive choices significantly. Our findings reveal, in fact, that despite Egypt ’s advanced stage of fertility transition, strong differences across the population strata still persist in the country. The demographic, cultural and socio-economic evolution seems, indeed, to be a phenomenon still quite differentiated among the social subgroups. Therefore, possible policies adopted by the Government, should necessarily involve a reduction of the existing inequalities among the segments of the population.