Item – Theses Canada

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OCLC number
192052272
Author
Muhammad, Ali.
Title
Seeking explanations for high fertility in Pakistan.
Degree
Ph. D. -- University of Western Ontario, 2005
Publisher
Ottawa : Library and Archives Canada = Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, [2006]
Description
3 microfiches
Notes
Includes bibliographical references.
Abstract
Pakistan stands among the high fertility countries in the world and has the highest fertility, 4.5 children per woman, in the region of South Asia. Although a transition from high to low fertility can be observed from the data available, the pace of decline has remained slower than in other South Asian countries. Previous studies seeking explanations for persistence of high fertility in Pakistan have paid less attention to examining the extent of fertility control at different parities and to investigating the timings and hazards of having a birth. Moreover, these studies have not clearly established a relationship between status of women and fertility in Pakistan. This study intends to bridge this research gap and examines the spacing and stopping behavior at various parities, investigates the timings of births and attempts to establish a relationship between status of women and fertility. Analytical methods such as Cohort Parity Analysis (CPA), Parametric Hazards Models (PHM), Structural Equation Models (SEM) and Path Analyses are used to accomplish the objectives of the study. This study has utilized the Pakistan Fertility and Family Planning Survey conducted in 1996-97 undertaken by the Pakistan Institute of Population Studies, Islamabad, Pakistan, with the collaboration of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Department for International Development, United Kingdom, under the supervision of Prof. John Cleland. The women interviewed by the survey are examined by three birth cohorts, namely the younger (ages 15-29), middle (ages 30-39) and older (ages 40-49) birth cohorts for all three models. This study shows that percentages of controllers increase with the increase in age and by duration of marriage and number of children. Younger women are more inclined to initiate some kind of fertility control compared to the middle and older cohorts of women. Irrespective of different birth cohorts, the timings of births are highly dependent on women's level of education, son preference and prevalence of infant and child mortality. Although inconsistencies are observed across different cohorts, regional differences also play an important role; women living in a poorer region like Baluchistan move faster to higher order births. Status of women is measured by a total of fourteen indicators related to the five conceptually distinct aspects of status namely 'economic, human capital, family planning discussion with spouse, household decision-making ' and 'mobility'. A low status of women is observed in Pakistan, since most women (60 percent) fall below the mean, which itself is shown to be negatively associated with fertility. Policy relevance of this study is obvious. Any attempt at bringing fertility levels down in Pakistan, should focus on educational opportunities, provision of health facilities, elimination of son preference and empowerment of women. These policy tools can largely be accepted in an environment like that of Pakistan where family planning program has been unsuccessful for long due to prevailing norms and cultural prescriptions.
ISBN
9780494121047
0494121041