Socio-cultural organization and fertility attitudes and behaviour of wives in Ezibeleni Township (Transkei)
Amoateng, A.Y.
Die Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif Vir Sosiologie. South African Journal of Sociology 23(4): 118-124
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0258-0144 PMID: 12345040 DOI: 10.1080/02580144.1992.10429866Document Number: 328248
"The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of socio-cultural organization on both desired and completed fertility of a group of married women in Ezibeleni township in the Transkei. Among the socio-cultural factors examined were religion, education, labour force participation, age, age at marriage, duration of marriage, birth and marriage cohorts etc. We found sufficient evidence to support the contention that childbearing is a fundamentally social behaviour. On the whole, families tend to be large in the township. The higher a woman's socio-economic status, the smaller the size of her family. Contrary to existing findings, age at marriage is positively associated with achieved family size, while the timing of entry into a marital union is negatively associated with desired family size. Finally, fertility desires have been changing over the years with the younger generation of wives desiring smaller family sizes compared to the older generation." (SUMMARY IN AFR)