Significance of beliefs and values in predicting fertility and contraceptive behaviour in Pakistan

Abstract

A comparative study of 1100 women aged 25-45 years, users and non-users of modern methods of contraception, in the urban centres of Lahore and Faisalabad was conducted in 1991. The objective of the study was to investigate reproductive behaviour and the extent to which social, cultural and attitudinal variables, such as beliefs and values about family life, religiosity and fatalism, influence the fertility decision-making process. Preferences for smaller families were found to be consistently associated with modern attitudes and behaviour towards family and religious values and obligations. Family income, husband's occupation and religiosity offered no explanation of reproductive behaviour. It is concluded that cultural setting and tradition exert an important influence on reproductive behaviour, independent of economic development. PIP:

A comparative study was carried out to assess the effects of variables on fertility preferences. The variables were: (a) socioeconomic and demographic, (b) intermediate (beliefs and values), and (c) contraceptive use and fertility preferences (dependent variables). Two groups of women, users and nonusers of modern contraception (n = 1100), were selected from the cities of Lahore and Faisalabad, Pakistan. The user group consisted of fecund women aged 25 years with at least two living children, using any method of contraception (excluding sterilization) and living with their husbands. The nonuser group was matched for age, parity, and residence, but they were not using any method of contraception. A multistage cluster sampling design was used. Factor analysis of the indicators of value of son, family orientation, religiosity, conservatism, and fatalism showed that they explained 54.8% of the total variance. The beliefs and values indicator represented mainly the factor value of a son, which accounted for 22.9% of the total variance. For the bivariate analysis, the predictor variable categories of low, medium, and high indicated movement from traditional to modern attitudes regarding family values. Among women who preferred a very large family, 79% scored low on the family orientation variable whereas only 19% scored high. Women who were modern in outlook were more likely to accept small families and practice contraception than women who were conservative. There were more women who scored low on the conservatism index and preferred a very large family (72%) than women who had the same fertility preference and achieved a high score (46%). Focus group discussions showed that son preference plays a crucial role in determining family size. 44% of users as compared to 67% of nonusers had low scores on the fatalism index. The persistence of values, norms, and traditions unfavorable to family limitation and small family norms is the explanation for high fertility and low contraceptive use in Pakistan.