Abstract
The Getis*Ord G i ∗ statistic and the Getis spatial filtering method are shown in this paper to be very useful geospatial tools for uncovering the spatial patterns of human reproduction in a rural governorate in Egypt that had been assumed by many to be a spatially homogeneous area. We apply the G i * statistic to dasymetrically mapped data from the 1976, 1986 and 1996 censuses of Egypt to show that there were very distinct spatial patterns in fertility over time in this predominantly rural region of the Nile Delta. The spatial filtering technique allows us to conclude as well that the spatial component became more important over time as a predictor of fertility levels. Improvements in education represent a key feature of the changing rural social environment driving these spatial changes in fertility. There is evidence as well that increases in contraceptive utilization contributed to this change, but we are unable to evaluate its spatial component. Nonetheless, the research illustrates and illuminates the underlying conceptual framework that demographic behavior is a joint function of who people are and where they are.
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Weeks, J.R. (2010). Spatial Patterns of Fertility in Rural Egypt. In: Anselin, L., Rey, S. (eds) Perspectives on Spatial Data Analysis. Advances in Spatial Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01976-0_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01976-0_17
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