Dir: Albert Esteve; Ewa Batyra

Tribunal

Presidenta.- Michelle Poulin (Berkeley Population Center, University of California, Berkeley, EUA)

Secretari.- Iñaki Permanyer Ugartemendia (Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics)

Vocal.- Luca Maria Pesando (New York University, Abu Dhabi, EAU)

Suplent 1.- Jenna Nobles (Berkeley Population Center, University of California, Berkeley, EUA)

Suplent 2.- Andrés F. Castro Torres (Barcelona Supercomputing Center-BSC, Barcelona)

Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84795354097
Meeting ID: 847 9535 4097
Passcode: 128246

Abstract:

Over the last six decades, sub-Saharan African countries have experienced significant socioeconomic and demographic transitions that have reshaped households, family structures, and living arrangements. The scale and pace of rising life expectancy, fertility decline, shifts in family formation, urbanization, and economic development differ considerably across and within countries, resulting in variations in demographic patterns and trends. This thesis explores these spatiotemporal variations by adopting diverse perspectives to examine the complex interplay between macro- and micro-level factors driving demographic and social processes. The first chapter introduces the three research chapters and outlines the core concepts applied to analyze variations in households, family structures, and living arrangements. The second chapter examines household characteristics including size and composition, across five regions, 49 countries, and 415 subnational areas from the 1960s through the 2020s. The third chapter employs micro- and macro-level perspectives to explore the stability of child fostering in Senegal between 1986 and 2019, with a focus on maternal and household characteristics. The fourth chapter analyzes the associations between children’s school enrollment and living arrangements, examining how these relationships have shifted over time using 60 census samples from 24 sub-Saharan African countries. Collectively, the three research chapters highlight variations in residential organization, social practices, and living arrangements while offering insights into the drivers and outcomes associated with diverse household contexts. The fifth chapter summarizes the key results, draws conclusions, discusses methodological limitations, and identifies avenues for future research. Overall, this thesis establishes a foundation for the further study of African households and families while highlighting the utility of comparative approaches in studying complex demographic and social dynamics across various spatial and temporal scales. The results demonstrate that living arrangements serve as a lens through which to study changes in family structures, social practices, and the implications of varying household contexts for children.