Determinants of fertility in Kenya: a comparative analysis Of urban - rural areas
Abstract
Fertility is a major determinant of population growth in the world and therefore there is need for
effective and efficient population policies in order to reduce fertility. Despite the observed fertlity
declines ill Kenya over the years, rural areas still lag behind in the fertility transition us compared
10 urban areas. The high fertility rates pose diverse challenges to the government ill regards to the
provision of basic needs and social services such as: health, education. food and employment.
This paper examines fertility in Kenya with special attention to urban-rural difference. I he study
used data sets from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey of 1998 with demographically
enriched information to estimate a reduced form fertility model using Ordinary Least Squares
technique.' We found that place of residence matters; women in rural areas have higher fertility
rates than their urban counterparts. Educational level for both female and male was found the
significant and negatively related 10 fertility in both rural and urban areas. Ethnicity was found an important variable in rural areas and it affects fertility in different .Child
survival rate and contraceptive use were also found to exert a significant negative effect on fertility.
We conclude that, in order to bridge the gap in urban-rural fertility, it is important for government
policy to ensure sustainability of female education, health care, family planing. programs,
equitable distribution of resources to improve the living standards of women and hence triggering.
a decline in fertility via favorable impacts on perceptions of ideal family size and fertility
preference ill both rural and urban areas.
Sponsorhip
The University of NairobiPublisher
Department of Economics