Women Status Contraceptive Use and Fertility in Kenya

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyse the status of women, current contraceptive use and relate all these to their fertility. The data used was from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 1993. Two statistical methods of data analysis were used i.e. cross tabulation and correlation analysis. Chi-square statistic was used to determine the significance of the association between selected demographic, socio-economic and cultural variables and current contraceptive use. Correlation analysis was used to determine the strength of the relation between current contraceptive use and fertility. Fertility was measured by children ever born. The use of chi-square has shown that level of education, age and marital status have a significant relationship with current contraceptive use for both women in the rural and urban areas. However, the relation between religious affiliation and current contraceptive use is only significant for women living in the urban areas. Type of marriage has no significant relationship with current contraceptive use. The study also found that young women living in the rural areas tend to use natural methods of family planning (abstinence and withdrawal) while the relatively young women living in the urban areas tend to use pills and other modern contraceptive methods. A significant proportion (about one fifth) of women who are Catholics use natural method of contraception both in the urban and rural areas. The study recommends that family planning campaigns should be enhanced in the rural areas and young women and husbands should also be targeted. Further, the education of girls should be enhanced for the status of women to be improved.