Wichí Mothers: When to Become Mothers and How Many Children to Have
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Abstract
Reproductive strategies are framed by the specific ecological constraints faced by each human group. The natural reproductive patterns of the Wichí are explored by taking into consideration the available energy that underlies their ancestral hunter-gatherer pattern. At puberty, when investment in growth slows down, women begin investing in reproduction. They then face a trade-off between continuing their growth for some time longer and beginning their reproductive cycle.
Once the reproductive stage has begun, the balance must be established between the energy reserved for reproduction and that directed toward maintenance, enabling them to reach a new reproductive phase. The reproductive histories of Wichí women are analyzed in order to inquire into decisions concerning when reproduction begins and the size of the resulting progeny.
The mean age at first motherhood was 18.23 years, and the mean length of birth intervals was 3.2 years. It is shown that mothers who began reproduction earlier had faster reproductive histories. The fx yielded an estimated individual reproduction value of 7.5, a value that is discussed and compared with those of other Indigenous populations from the Chaco and elsewhere in the world.
The early age at first motherhood among Wichí women and the high reproductive rate, together with birth intervals of moderate length, delineate a model of maximization of the distribution of energy allocated to reproduction throughout their life course, in socio-ecological contexts of limited resources.
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