Page 224 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

authors hypothesized that this effect
3000
was likely due to the fact that women
Number of areas (AMCs) covered by Globo signal 2000 Brazil to the main female characters
between 25 and 44 were closer in age
in novelas, who typically had no
children or only a single child. The
depressive effect on fertility among
1000
therefore attributed to wider spacing
0 women in areas served by Globo was
of births and earlier ending of repro-
1965 1970 1980 1990 2000 duction, not to delaying the birth of
Year their first child.
Further evidence for the influ-
Figure 1 The globo television network expanded over time and now reaches nearly all ence of novelas on fertility was found
households in brazil. Fertility declines across minimally comparable areas (AMCs) were
correlated with the availability of Globo, and its novelas, over the time periods in the in school records. The researchers
study. Source: La Ferrara, E., et al., 2012. Soap operas and fertility: Evidence from Brazil. Am. Econ. J. found that fifth graders living in areas
Appl. Econ. 4: 1-31. reached by the Globo network were
four times more likely to be named
after the lead characters in novelas
in the year they were born than were
on the most popular novelas, The team found that women in
increased the number of areas that areas that received the Globo signal children in areas not served by Globo.
received its signal in Brazil over those had significantly lower fertility than These results were particularly com-
35 years (Figure 1), and currently it those in areas not served by Rede pelling because most novela charac-
ters have relatively unusual names.
reaches 98% of Brazilian households. Globo, and they also found that The researchers determined that
By combining data on Rede Globo fertility declines were related to the access to television alone did not
broadcast range with demographic timing of receiving access to novelas. depress fertility. For example, com-
data, the researchers were able to Diving deeper into census data, the parisons of fertility rate in areas with
compare changes in fertility pat- researchers concluded that the great- access to a different television network,
terns over time in areas of Brazil that est reductions in fertility occurred in Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão, found
received access to novelas with areas women aged 25–34 and 35–44, but no relationship. The study authors
in Brazil that did not. not in younger women (Figure 2). The
concluded that this was likely due to
the network’s reliance on programming
imported from other nations, with which
7
1970 1980 1991 everyday Brazilians did not connect as
6 5 they did with novelas.
Television’s ability to change
Average number of live births per woman 4 3 Brazil. A 2007 study found that
cultural attitudes is not limited to
access to cable television in rural
villages in India correlated with lower
fertility, reduced acceptance of

preference for sons over daughters,
1 2 violence against women, decreased
and increases in attitudes about
0 female autonomy. CHAPTER 8 • Hum A n Po P ul AT i on
15–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 The factors that affect human
Age fertility can be complex and vary greatly
from one society to another. The influ-
Figure 2 Fertility declines among brazilian women between 1970 and 1991 were ence of novelas on fertility in Brazil
most pronounced in later age classes. The authors attribute some of this decline to
women in those age classes emulating the low fertility of lead female characters in also shows that the factors influenc-
novelas. Source: La Ferrara, E., et al., 2012. Soap operas and fertility: Evidence from Brazil. Am. ing fertility can sometimes come from
Econ. J. Appl. Econ. 4: 1-31. unexpected sources.
223

M08_WITH7428_05_SE_C08.indd 223 12/12/14 2:58 PM