Fertility Transitions: Implications for Future Demographic Trends in Qatar

Abstract

Introduction: In Qatar, while most of the country's demographic situations have been widely studied, much less attention has been paid to the determinants of Qatari women's socio-demographic characteristics and the prevalence of family planning methods. This raises the following question: How, and to what extent, do population dynamics that stratify national populations by age; sex; marital status; and level of education, income, and employment contribute to the declining of fertility rate and cause mortality differentials in Qatar? Materials and Methods: Data from a 2018 fertility survey project with a random sample of 607 Qatari households, collected via personal interviews using a questionnaire and a computer assisted personal interview, by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University, was examined based on a multi-dimensional model. The data were analyzed using logistic and Poisson regression techniques. Results: The data show that Qatari women's total fertility rate is 3.2, with women in the 20-29 age group having the highest fertility rates. Evaluating the effects of women's educational attainment and employment status revealed no significant factors influencing the age-specific fertility rate of Qatari women. In addition, the results indicate that the most common contraceptive method currently used among Qatari women is pills (29%), and their use is more prevalent among older Qatari women who have had more children than among younger Qatari women with fewer children. Conclusion/ future direction: The paper provides comprehensive policy recommendations for increasing the reproductive rate in Qatar by providing supporting programs to increase the total fertility rate and childbearing rates among Qatari women. It also promotes the provision of high-quality family planning services.