Suchergebnisse

The large fertility decline observed in Eritrea between the mid‐1990s and the early part of the new century is examined using data from two detailed national household surveys. Little evidence is found that this decrease infertility signals the beginning of a sustained decline. Rather, the results indicate that one of the outcomes of the military mobilization and displacement associated with the 1998–2000 border conflict with Ethiopia was a steep reduction in the proportion of women exposed to the risk of pregnancy. Part of this reduction was due to delayed age at marriage, but it came about largely because married women were less likely to be living with their husbands in 2002 than in 1995. Projections of the number of births that could occur if women implement their stated reproductive intentions and a postwar "baby boom" results show that the health system may be facing an increased demand for child health services over the next several years.

This article reviews what has been learned to date about the role of gender‐based power in sexual relationships in determining sexual and reproductive health outcomes. A framework for assessing the relationship between power relations and reproductive health is outlined and measurement issues are critically discussed. A summary is included of the main types of intervention approaches that have been implemented, as are a discussion of the programmatic, methodological, and ethical implications of the findings and recommendations for further experimentation and research. Although many challenges remain, results to date suggest that when the role of gender‐based power is made an integral feature of sexual and reproductive health programs, there is a considerable payoff for both women and men.

This study examines fertility decline that is larger than expected on the basis of recorded increases in contraceptive prevalence in Ghana. The primary sources of data are three Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in the country in 1988, 1993 and 1998. First, the trend in fertility and contraceptive prevalence in Ghana is considered and compared with the trend that would be expected on the basis of prior research. Next, an attempt is made to uncover the explanation behind this unexpected trend. Measures of the quality of the survey data are looked at, as well as trends in the proximate determinants of fertility: contraceptive use, marriage and sexual activity, postpartum insusceptibility and induced abortion. Finally, evidence is presented that couples adjust their coital frequency in accordance with their fertility preferences, behaviour that would influence fertility rates but would not be captured by conventional measures of the proximate determinants of fertility.