The goal of this research is to enhance our understanding of the conditions under which women have children at an early age, the conditions under which women delay having children, and conditions that may enhance or inhibit a woman's ability to access opportunities for education and employment. Data will be gathered from an American Indian population and will provide important additions to existing knowledge about human behavior and reproduction. There are three specific research objectives: 1) to identify the social, economic, and health factors that facilitate reproduction for the study population; 2) to construct a data set of women's life histories and develop a model of the relationship between the timing of reproduction, the availability of education and employment opportunities, and the availability of physiological, social, and economic resources necessary for successful childrearing; and 3) test hypotheses about the timing of reproduction over a woman's life course. This research explores an option for reproduction among poor women which coordinates limited but early reproduction supported by family networks and later acquisition of education and employment opportunities.
