Determinants of fertility, levels in urban areas:A comparative case study of Mathare and Nairobi south
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Date
1989Author
Aoko Imelda Monica
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Population growth, has become a current issue in Kenya
because it deters overall development planning. The
problem manifests itself in a deficit in the provision for
basic needs and low standards of living.
A lot of research has been undertaken in this area
with useful results but the policy implications thereof
have as yet failed to curb the population growth.
Therefore, further research in the area of population
growth is required if effective policies are to be designed
which will eventually control population growth.
This study aims at throwing more light onsocioeconomic
determinants of fertility levels in urban areas.
Regression techniques were applied to cross-sectional data
from two areas (Mathare and the Nairobi south area). The
sample size was 434. Data was collected from the field by
administering a questionna.ire .
The study found that socio-economic status (measured
by educational levels, occupational status, age of a woman,
age of a woman at first marriage, infant mortality and
family planning practice), is a major determinant of
fertility levels in urban areas. People with low socioeconomic
status have more children than those with higher
socio-economic status.
The findings imply that to achieve a decline in the
population, the government must design policies to induce
people of low status to reduce their family size. This
could be done by way of increasing educational levels,
increasing the marriage age, better medical facilities and
a more intensified family planning campaign.
Sponsorhip
The University of NairobiPublisher
Population studies and research institute ( PSRI)