Page 150 - IJPS-11-5

International Journal of
Population Studies Fertility desire of married women

economic and demographic drivers of fertility decisions, autonomy should be prioritized in SSA countries. This is
which offers an integrated framework that combines because such interventions have the potential to enhance
economic factors and sociological perspectives to explain education and economic opportunities for women.
variations in fertility rates, while the GAD framework Furthermore, the initiatives help women to achieve
highlights gender-based constraints, and the Social reproductive autonomy, enabling them to make informed
Influence Theory contextualizes fertility choices within choices about family planning and childbearing.
broader social and cultural expectations. This integrated
approach offers critical insights for policymakers and 4.2. Strengths and limitations
reproductive health practitioners, emphasizing the need The results of this analysis can be generalized to the total
for multi-faceted interventions that address economic population of married women of childbearing age in the
constraints, gender inequalities, and sociocultural norms countries where the study was conducted. This is because
influencing fertility behavior in SSA. By accounting the study included a nationally representative sample of
for economic, sociocultural, and structural factors, the women who had given birth. The DHS dataset’s standard
theories provide a comprehensive understanding of methodology made it possible to compare the findings
decisions regarding fertility desire. across countries. However, because the DHS applied a

While the study offers valuable insights that could cross-sectional study design, causality cannot be inferred
enhance existing family planning initiatives aimed at in this study. Further, due to the respondents being asked
reducing high fertility among married women in SSA, the to report prior occurrences, there is also a chance of recall
development of targeted interventions will require a more bias. This can result in underreporting or overreporting of
nuanced approach. Conducting a detailed decomposition events, affecting the reliability and validity of the results.
analysis of both individual and community-level factors is 5. Conclusion
essential to uncover the drivers of variability in the desire
to limit childbearing across different countries in SSA. For This study highlights significant differences in the desire
countries with a lower prevalence of this desire, adopting to limit childbearing among married women in four SSA
and adapting successful family planning strategies from countries, with Zambia having the highest prevalence
nations where the issue is less pronounced could prove and Mali the lowest. These differences underscore the
effective. need for context-specific interventions to address high
fertility rates. Key determinants include age, parity,
4.1. Policy implications of the study findings decision-making autonomy about a woman’s health, and
This study has several policy implications for the SSA ideal number of children, with additional factors such as
region. The results highlight that older women and those contraceptive use, education, and wealth status varying
with higher parity are more likely to have a desire to limit across countries. Policymakers should expand educational
childbearing, underscoring the importance of promoting opportunities, improve contraceptive access, and empower
modern contraceptive use. Health policy initiatives women in marginalized communities. Beyond the four
should prioritize expanding access to reproductive health African countries analyzed, these findings have broader
education and family planning services to increase women’s implications for global fertility trends. Fertility rates
ability to make informed reproductive choices, particularly are declining worldwide due to economic conditions,
in rural and underserved areas where accessibility remains cultural shifts, and evolving personal aspirations. The
a challenge. Results also reveal that women exposed to study underscores the relationship between women’s ideal
mass media on family planning information in Tanzania number of children and their desire to limit childbearing,
had higher odds of the desire to limit childbearing than emphasizing the need to integrate fertility preferences
their counterparts. Therefore, nationwide mass media into reproductive health policies. In regions where large
campaigns should be launched using television, radio, families are preferred, such as parts of the Middle East,
and social platforms to promote modern contraceptive South Asia, and Latin America, fertility rates may remain
methods. Collaborating with local community leaders will above replacement levels, impacting population growth.
further help dispel myths such as the use of contraceptives, Conversely, in European and East Asian nations, sub-
especially among young or unmarried women, encourage replacement fertility presents workforce shortages and
promiscuity and immoral behavior, and increase informed aging populations. To address these trends, policymakers
decision-making. Women’s participation in household must tailor family planning initiatives to local contexts.
decision-making is associated with a higher likelihood of High-fertility regions need better education, contraception
limiting childbearing. Therefore, initiatives that promote access, and economic opportunities, while low-fertility
women’s empowerment and reproductive decision-making countries may benefit from childcare subsidies and

Volume 11 Issue 5 (2025) 144 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.5584