Evolution of the reproductive behavior of Brazilian women – 1991-2000 Calculation of Total Fertility Rate at Municipal Level

Abstract

The construction of indicators in municipalities is essential for planning, for assessing public policies and for making sectorial diagnoses. This article presents the methodology used to calculate the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for Brazilian municipalities in 1991 and 2000. The analysis of the results outlines the recent panorama of the process of declining fertility in Brazil. The article also associates the fertility level of Brazilian women with several socio-economic indicators, pointing out that common and recurrent aspects of the municipalities in the two extremes of fertility level (high and low TFR), involve other determinants that go beyond the concept of urbanization. In other words: differences in TFR seem to be related to socialeconomic issues, regardless of whether respective municipalities are essentially urban or rural.