Factors Influencing Women's Fertility Rates in Jordan: The Impact of Marriage Age, Education, and Employment

Abdullah Omar Bataineh; Ahmad Helmy Nofal; Wisam Fakhry Hazimeh

doi:10.35516/Hum.2026.9400

Authors

Abdullah Omar Bataineh Department of International Development, Prince Al-Hussein Bin Abdullah II School of Political Science and International Studies, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3225-2945
Ahmad Helmy Nofal Department of International Development, Prince Al-Hussein Bin Abdullah II School of Political Science and International Studies, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0251-4653
Wisam Fakhry Hazimeh Department of Political Science, Prince Al-Hussein Bin Abdullah II School of Political Science and International Studies, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7692-0899

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.9400

Keywords:

Women Empowerment, Education, Employment, Early Marriage, Fertility Rate.

Abstract

Objectives: This paper examines the causal impact of women's marriage age, education level, and employment status on fertility rates in Jordan from 1991 to 2023.

Methods: A mixed-method approach was employed, utilizing quantitative data from the World Bank and the Jordanian Department of Statistics (DoS), along with qualitative data collected through two semi-structured Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and a questionnaire. Various simple and multiple linear regression models were applied to analyze the relationship between four independent variables (secondary education, tertiary education, employment, and marriage age) and one dependent variable (fertility rate) over 33 years. The qualitative data were analyzed to complement the quantitative findings, enhancing their reliability and providing a deeper understanding of the trends.

Results: The analysis revealed strong statistical evidence of a significant impact of women's education, employment, and marriage age on fertility rates, with variations observed for each factor. However, challenges persist in balancing fertility rates among women who are unemployed, less empowered, living in camps or rural areas, married early, working in private or non-profit sectors, and those employed in the public sector.

Conclusions: The study recommends that the Jordanian government target its efforts to regulate fertility rates more effectively, focusing on women in rural and camp areas. It suggests enhancing women's empowerment through vocational education and economic participation opportunities and launching campaigns to raise awareness of modern family planning methods.

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