Some notable patterns of fertility behaviour in Africa: the case of Kenya
Mburugu, E.K.
International Sociology Journal of the International Sociological Association 1(2): 203-211
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0268-5809 PMID: 12179886 DOI: 10.1177/026858098600100206Document Number: 349115
"The high rate of population growth in Africa has led to government attempts to encourage fertility control, but economic development does not seem to be following Western demographic transition theory. Kenyan total fertility was 8.1 children in 1979 and mean desired number of children for ever married women is 7.2. Key patterns of fertility contributing to these figures are high levels of pre- and non-marital fertility, traditional orientations to fertility, low prevalence of modern orientations to family size and contraception, regional and ethnic variations and high fertility among young urban women." The value of existing theories of fertility in explaining these trends is considered.