Effects of Ethnicity on the Onset of Parenthood in a Developing Country: Some Evidence from the Early 1990s

Ethnicity has profound implications for the study of demographic processes in subSaharan Africa. Consequently, researchers have investigated the links between ethnic identity and a host of demographic characteristics in this part of the world. Missing in this discussion is the association between ethnicity and age at first birth. In many African countries characterized by low age at first marriage and low contraceptive use, the age at which women start their childbearing has significant policy implications. Focusing on the role of ethnicity, this paper -uses data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys to investigate the influence of ethnicity and other characteristics of the respondents on the onset of parenthood during the early 1 990s. Our findings indicate that ethnicity per se may be less important than socioeconomic variables in predicting early family formation in Ghana. The policy implications of our findings are reported.