The Effects of Selected Proximate Determinants and SocioEconomic Factors on Fertility Rates of Rural Women in North Shewa: The Case of Two Districts
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Date
1994-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Population growth is a prominent issue in rural Ethiopia where about 85
percent of the population resides. Therefore, simply put, the determinants of the
effects of the various factors on fertility rates in rural Ethiopia is a relevant policy
oriented research. This paper looked at s~d proximate determinants and socioeconomic
factors and their effects on fertility in a rural setting. The study collected information on 2063 women in Mafud and Kewet
districts, and used various techniques including oneway analysis, multiple
classification analysis and the Bongaarts model to look at the relative effects of the
selected variables. The findings include that land-holding, literacy program,
livestock value, marital disruptions, infant- child mortality and spontaneous
miscarriages had positive effect on fertility. On the other hand, formal education,
contraceptive use, breast-feeding and age at first marriage showed negative effects
on fertility in the studied rural areas of Ethiopia. The results also indicated that
among the rural areas studied, fertility levels varied by the rate of infant-child
mortality, the levels of infecundity and contraceptive prevalence.
In conclusion this study identified areas of policy concentration in relation
to reducing fertility levels as well as areas of future research to better understand
the dynamics of fertility behavior in rural Ethiopia.
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Fertility Rates of Rural Women