Selected socio-economic and demographic factors influencing fertility rate among women in the Northen Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine selected socio-economic and demographic factors influencing fertility among women in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The focus of the study was on selected socio-economic and demographic factors, fertility and the Northern Cape as a province.The South African Demographic Health Survey 2003 (SADHS: 2003) was used in the study, and are present sample of approximately 7041 women was considered in the study. For the purpose of this study, only 777 women between the ages of 15 and 49 years were used in the study. Basic descriptive statistics were used to describe variables in terms of frequencies and percentages. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis procedures were also used to examine the relationship between socio-economic and demographic factors on one hand and children ever born on the other. It was revealed that fertility is higher among women with lower education than among women with higher education. The study focused mainly on women of reproductive ages (15-49years). The main factors that play a very significant role in impacting fertility among women in the Northern Cape Province are: educational attainment; type of place of residence; contraceptive methods; ethnicity; and marital status. All data was obtained from the South African Demographic Health Survey (2003) since it is the latest data captured in South Africa. The results of the study confirm what is suggested in the literature. Determinants of fertility as indicated in other studies are more similar to determinants identified in this study. It was established that high level of education, type of place of residence and marital status are determinants that contribute to fertility among black women, among others. It is recommended that young girls should be empowered through education and life skills as well as improving family planning and reproductive health awareness aimed at both men and women.