Content area
Abstract
This study examined the fertility planning behavior of currently married women in Ghana and Nigeria, regarding their attitudes toward the family size norm and contraceptive approval for birth spacing and limitation. The main question that I addressed is: why do some women offer nonnumeric responses to the desired family size (DFS) question? Substantively, there are two competing theories for why women give such responses. According to the 'beyond rational choice' explanation, nonnumeric responses may reflect that 'controlling fertility is beyond the realm of conscious choice' for some women. For the 'rational response' explanation, proponents of this view argue that women who give such responses know how many children they want, but believe that their control over this process is limited. Understanding why some women give nonnumeric answers is a question that is practically important. This is because the interpretation of the nonnumeric responses affects greatly conclusions about 'unmet need' for contraceptives and about the kinds of programs one would implement to hasten the fertility decline. The study utilized data from the 1988 Ghana and 1990 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys, and from the 1992 survey of Yoruba women of south west Nigeria. The tools of the analysis include the sample selection model, factor analytic and covariance structure models. Evidence presented in the study supports both the ' beyond rational choice' and 'rational response' explanations. However, more "up to God" responses tend to be produced by the first explanation for reasons that include: (1) women with lower degree of perceived control over the fertility domain have lower propensity to formulate numeric DFS; and (2) nonnumeric fertility preferences reflect orientation towards a 'high target.' Furthermore, there is slight evidence that nonnumeric answers may be given in circumstances when women perceive that certain constraints (e.g. access to contraception) do not permit they assume total control over this realm. For study implications (based on the first explanation), the kinds of programs one would implement to hasten fertility decline may include an appropriate family planning educational program that have a different orientation adapted to women who give nonnumeric answers. It may well be appropriate to have organized family planning agencies provide services and information on how and where such services can be obtained.
