Fertility in Bangladesh villages
Tsutsui, T.; Igarashi, T.; Tsubouchi, Y.
Tonan Ajia Kenkyu 28(3): 369-383
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0563-8682 PMID: 12157848 Document Number: 375961
Two sets of data were obtained on Bangladesh villages: a genealogical table of inhabitants of one village, Gobarchitra; and survey data on two villages, Gobarchitra and Panchkitta, obtained by using questionnaires. The data were used to analyse the high fertility of these villages. Using a patrilineal table, the reproductivity of the male population was tested. Over five generations, four pairs of father-son generations were checked. The questionnaires asked all the married females about their birth histories. Compared with nationwide data, the two villages showed comparatively high fertility. There was a difference in fertility between the two villages, which appeared to result from a traditional difference in mean age at first marriage. Neither village showed much effect from the government's family planning programme. Generally there is a high relation between the diffusion of a family planning programme and education, but this could not be checked as there were no data on education.