Andrés Felipe Castro Torres

I am Ph.D. candidate in Demography and Sociology. I am interested in the relationship between demographic processes and social reproduction. I worked on the relationship between Armed Internal Conflict and fertility in Colombia showing how different levels of exposure to violence may affect fertility outcomes in context of weak institutional conditions. I also worked on a historical comparison of fertility decline among six Latin American countries during the second half of the 20th century. This latter work uses a class perspective to explain fertility differentials across and within countries. Results challenge explanations of fertility decline based on the notion of modernization/development as the main driver of fertility decline and emphasize the role of social structure in shaping fertility trends.

I am currently working on transition to childbearing in the U.S. This research focuses on the role of childlessness, immigration and fertility intentions on racial and ethnic differences in the timing of the first birth. This project had led me to broader my research interests towards issues of transition to adulthood within a lifecycle perspective and the potential differences across social classes.