How the Number of Living Sons Influences Contraceptive Use in Menoufia Governorate, Egypt

Datos Bibliográficos

ID10795441
AutoresSaad M Gadalla (autor de correspondencia), Saad Gadalla, James Mccarthy (0000-0003-2878-1921), Oona M R Campbell (0000-0002-9311-0115), Oona Campbell
Año1985
Volumen16
Número3
Páginas164
Fecha de publicación1985-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaStudies in Family Planning (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0039-3665 • E-ISSN: 1728-4465
EditorialJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/1967018
PMID4012820
OpenAlexW2006512676
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas15
Referencias citadas6

Couples in rural areas of many Arab societies, including Egypt, have consistently reported strong preferences for having sons. However, these reported preferences are not always reflected in reproductive behavior. In 38 rural villages in Menoufia Governorate in Egypt, women's responses to a community-based contraceptive distribution program were examined, taking into consideration both the number of living children and the number of living sons each women reported having. Controlling for number of living children, women with more sons were more likely to be using contraception before the distribution program began. Among women not using contraception before the program, those with more sons were more likely to initiate contraceptive use and were more likely to continue use for a nine-month period following the distribution. These findings imply that in addition to obstacles related to contraceptive availability, there are several cultural, social, and economic factors that influence fertility behavior and exert considerable pressure on married couples to have large families, including several sons. Unless the pressure exerted by these factors is changed or reduced, the impact of family planning programs is likely to reach a plateau at a relatively low prevalence level

Birth rate · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Family planning · Fertility · Marital status · Population · Research methodology · Socioeconomic status · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Total fertility rate · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Reproductive Health and Contraception