SOCIOECONOMIC CULTURAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF MARITAL FERTILITY IN PUNJAB PAKISTAN

The study examines the factors that influence female fertility and contraceptive use among Pakistani women. The immediate goal was to investigate female marital fertility and contraceptive behaviour within socio-cultural context and demographic environment. It mainly identified the extent to which attitudinal variables like spousal interrelationship, husband-wife communication on family planning issues, women empowerment through adequate control on monthly household expenditures, women mobility outside home and level of participation in familial and non-familial affairs influence the independent variables. Health issues, such as the level of adoption of pre-and postnatal care coupled with access to these services and attitude of health providers were explored to determine their effect on the response variables. The study also attempted to investigate the effect of monetary, physical and social costs of contraception and the extent to which the religiosity, fatalism and exposure to mass media influence the adoption of birth control measures and fertility performance. The ultimate goal was to suggest policy implications to the Government of Pakistan of the promotion of family planning use and small family norms in the society\ud \ud A cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban and rural areas of District Faisalabad in May-December 2003. A random sample of 1051 respondents comprised of married women aged 20-45 years with at least one surviving child, and living with husband was studied through pre-designed questionnaire during field survey\ud \ud Univariate bivariate, multiple linear and logistic regression analysis demonstrate that small family and adoption of birth control measures was consistently found to be associated with modern attitude and behaviour in terms of spousal communication on family matters and family planning issues, women mobility and participation in familial and non-familial decision making. The utilization of health services in terms of pre-and postnatal cares and attitude of health providers were strongly associated with response variables. The distance of health facility from the residence of the respondents also exercised control on the dependent variables. Women accurate knowledge about the chances of pregnancy during menstrual cycle empowers women to exercise better control on their fertility. The life style aspirations of mother about children education and marriage appeared to be strongly associated with contraceptive use and family size\ud \ud It was argued that promotion of education, especially female education particularly in rural areas, women control on household expenditures, mobility outside home, participation in decision-making are needed. Adequate adoption of pre- and post natal care and availability of health services at smaller distance, and provision of accurate knowledge to women about the chances of pregnancy during menstrual cycle need special focus to achieve the twin objectives of adoption of birth control measures and population control in Pakistan societ