Reconstructing Brazilian Birth Histories Based on Census Data: A Comparative Analysis of Two Methodologies

Adriana Miranda-Ribeiro, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Eduardo L.G. Rios-Neto, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and University of Texas at Austin

The main purpose of this paper is to apply two methodologies of birth history reconstruction to the Brazilian data, in order to compare the results and test their robustness. Other purposes are: (i) to create a time series of fertility indicators; and (ii) to apply the Kohler & Ortega method to disentangle tempo, parity, and quantum effects of fertility during the Brazilian strong fertility decline. Data come from the last three editions of the Brazilian Demographic Censuses: 1980, 1991 and 2000, which will allow the estimation of fertility measures from 1966 to 2000. The reconstruction of birth histories will represent a great advance in fertility studies, due to the absence of good birth histories in Brazil and the low quality of birth registration.