Abstract

MENDEZ, Marta Graciela  and  FERRARINI, Stella Ofelia. (Wichi mothers: When to be and how many children to have). Cuad. Fac. Humanid. Cienc. Soc., Univ. Nac. Jujuy [online]. 2013, n.43, pp.81-101. ISSN 1668-8104.

Reproductive strategies are framed by the specific ecological limitations that each human group faces. Wichí natural patterns of reproduction are explored taking in consideration the available energy that underlies to their ancestral hunter-gatherers pattern. In the puberty, investment in growth declines and women begin the investment in reproduction. They confront a tradeoff among continuing their growth for a time or begin their reproductive cycle. Once the reproductive stage begun the tradeoff will be among allocated energy to reproduction or to maintenance and be able to arrive to a new reproductive phase. Wichí women's reproductive histories are analyzed to investigate about the decisions on when they begin the reproduction and how many children they have. The mean age of the first maternity was 18.23 years and the mean length of intervals among 3.2 year-old births. The mothers that began their reproduction before had quicker reproductive histories. The fx threw a value of individual reproduction of 7.5, value that we discuss and compare with that of other populations. The early age at first birth of the Wichí women and the high reproductive rate with moderate birth intervals delineate a pattern of maximization of the energy distribution dedicated to the reproduction along the lifetime, in a ecological contexts of limited resources.  

Keywords : Age to the First Birth; Fecundity; reproductive strategy; Wichí.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )