Investigating potential factors contributing to declining fertility rates in the Philippine regions from 2003 to 2022: A panel data analysis

• Main Authors: Lim, Madeleine Marie P., Aquino, Allein Faith P., Apatan, Eisen John D.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Fertility, Human > Philippines; Family planning > Philippines; Panel analysis; Demography, Population, and Ecology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_math/43; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_math/article/1044/viewcontent/2024_Apatan_EtAl_Investigating_potential_factors_contributing_to_declining_fertili.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The fertility rate in the Philippines has been on a steady decline since the 1960s, aiding in the mitigation of the country’s overpopulation crisis. However, prolonged reduction creates a different set of challenges, including an aging population, a shrinking labor force, and economic instability. This paper investigates how underlying factors contribute to the national decline in fertility and create disparities between regions and throughout years. Panel data analysis was conducted on data collected primarily from the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) to identify trends in the relationship between fertility rates and the potential factors that influence its continuous decline, across the Philippine regions and several years. Findings reveal that the final two-way fixed effects model is the best model compared to the one-way fixed effects model for both region and time effects. Women’s sexual activity has a robust relationship with total fertility rate as it was a significant factor of TFR in all three final models. Women’s desire to limit childbearing and their participation in decision-making for their own health care are also significant factors of the two-way fixed effects model. This highlights the importance of Filipino women's autonomy and fertility attitudes in influencing fertility trends.