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marriage-crisis-or-reproductive-revolution-north-africas-eventful-demographic-transition-douard-conte
Journal article

“Marriage crisis” or “reproductive revolution”? North Africa’s eventful demographic transition

PSPE

  • Conte, Édouard Institut de recherche sur la famille, Université de Fribourg, Suisse
  • 2023
Published in:
  • Afriche e Orienti. - Aiep Editore. - 2023, vol. 26, no. 2, p. 114-157
Demographic transition
North Africa
‘Marriage crisis’
Fertility decline
Nasab
English This article addresses in anthropological perspective the interplay of demographic transition in the countries of North Africa and gendered processes of kinship and marriage predicated on the transgenerational continuity of patronymics (nasab) which underpins individual filiation and legitimacy. The present analysis departs from a comparative, diachronic approach to variations in fertility decline, the rise of the age at first marriage for both genders, persistent age gaps between spouses, contextually distinct rates of consanguinity, delayed marriage versus final celibacy, and the prevalence and effects of son preference. These facets entertain complex interrelations with national, regional, and international migratory patterns, high youth unemployment, the increased cost of marriage and housing and, last but not least, women’s access to education correlated with their persistent margnalisation from the labour market. These dynamics, manifest in reduced fertility, touch at the heart long-established modes of social reproduction and gender inequality and configure intense public debate over a perceived ‘marriage crisis’. Yet, the emergence of novel modalities of non-conventional or unregistered forms of marriage and, conversely, the feared emergence of ‘terminal celibacy’ remain statistically limited. Indeed, ‘classical’ atrimony remains an almost universal aspiration and, albeit with deferral, remains the keystone of the social order. This constant renders apparent the contested yet perduring hold of the nasab complex.
Faculty
Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines
Department
Département de Psychologie
Language
  • English
License
CC BY
Open access status
gold
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/336237
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