The ethnic factor in the timing of family formation in Nepal

Abstract

The notion that the “starting”, “spacing” and “stopping” patterns of reproductive behaviour take place within a particular institutional and cultural environment and respond to changes in that environment is a basic sociological orientation to socio-demographic analysis (cf. Davis and Blake, 1956; Freedman, 1961-1962 and 1975; Hawthorn, 1970; McNicoll, 1980; Lesthaeghe, 1980).