The drivers of the fertility transition among women in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Congolese diaspora in Belgium: a comparative mixed-methods study

Although most sub-Saharan African countries have started the onset of a fertility transition, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) still has very high fertility rates which have not declined in recent years. In an economically weakened and politically unstable country like DRC, this has profound implications on a macro- and micro-level: on the one hand, population growth, and its associated socioeconomic challenges, and on the other, adverse effects on maternal and child health. This project aims to contribute to our understanding of the Congolese fertility transition by identifying the drivers. A mixed methods approach is used to answer the question as to which factors and changes in a woman’s life impact fertility and which ones do not. In a comparative perspective, the fertility of the Congolese diaspora in Belgium will also be examined to gain better understanding of the mechanisms through which the fertility transition is diffused, and of the effects of migration on fertility. Three specific research objectives are tackled: 1) providing an empirically grounded account of the fertility trends and determinants of women in DRC; 2) assessing and comparing the fertility of the Congolese diaspora in Belgium with their non-migrant counterparts in DRC; and 3) identifying the associated social, cultural, and environmental conditions and mechanisms.