Fertility differentials among the Karen, a hill tribe minority in Northern Thailand

This study identifies factors affecting fertility among the Karen, the largest hill tribe minority group in Thailand, in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces in Northern Thailand. The study uses quantitative data from the 1986-1987 Census of Hill Tribe Populations, and qualitative information from fieldwork carried out in these two provinces during November 1992 and May 1993. The framework of this study is primarily concerned with consequences of the interventions of Thai government in the hill tribe areas, especially a nation building (integration) policy, a restriction of land use, and family planning. A similar framework is also applied to the study of their contraceptive use. The Karen who have higher socioeconomic status, as manifested by education and the availability of electricity in the households are more likely to have lower fertility. The Karen who have a higher level of wealth as measured by ownership of livestock and modem consumer goods have higher fertility. Economic hardship is one of the important reasons for not wanting many children. Fertility decline among the Karen occurs in the context of mortality decline, but the findings do not support the insurance effect or replacement effect of mortality. The Karen who cultivate a larger amount of land, or own a larger amount of land have higher fertility. The higher fertility of the Karen who use more land is both for family labour requirement, and for old age security. For the Karen, a large amount of land is likely to be land for dry rice and its productivity tends to decrease every year because fallow periods are no longer possible; an increase in labour input in dry-rice land does not increase productivity. The shortage of land is the most important reason for not wanting many children. The Karen who own land also work on their land themselves in most cases; thus family labour is required. The Karen who are highly integrated into Thai society, as manifested by speaking Thai, professing Buddhism and ownership of radio are more likely to have lower fertility. The idea of a two-child family is prevalent in Thai society and promoted by the National Family Planning Program. This small family idea and family planning technology is an innovation among the Karen. At the individual level the diffusion process is more effective among the Karen who speak Thai and own radios which receive broadcast both Thai and Karen languages. At the aggregate level, not only speaking Thai but also the degree of rural isolation is found to be crucial in the diffusion process. The impact of some proximate determinants, for instance the practice of breastfeeding, to create fertility differentials is not perceived among the Karen. This is due to uniform breastfeeding practice among the Karen. The analysis of differentials in contraceptive use, in general, is consistent with that of fertility. The Karen who have characteristics associated with lower fertility are more likely to use contraception. The availability of health centres in the hill tribe communities is found to increase the likelihood of contraceptive use. Community leaders, for instance health personnel and Catholic priests, are found in some cases to encourage and in others to discourage contraceptive use. These two factors in combination with providing information through radio broadcasting clearly have policy implications for increasing contraceptive use among the Karen, and to prevent AIDS transmission which is found to be a key issue in the hill tribe areas