Abstract:
The study was an exploratory and non-interventional design focusing
on the socio-economic status, fertility decision-making and fertility behaviour
of females in the Akuapem South District of the Eastern Region of Ghana.
The multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting Nsawam and
Obodan/Fotobi from the Akuapem South District to serve as the study area.
The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the
data. Additionally, the chi-square statistic and the difference between two
means tests, and the Pearson correlation coefficient were applied to infer
specific relations in order to reduce the chances of presenting a merely
descriptive work.
The study revealed that education and residence were significantly
related to fertility behaviour. There was also a significant relationship between
fertility decision-making and socio- economic status. The analysis further
revealed that there was an inverse relationship between high socio-economic
status and the mean number of children born. However, the analysis did not
reveal any significant difference between high socio-economic status and
fertility behaviour.
Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that, in order to
raise their socio-economic status, females should pursue education to the post
- secondary level. Also, it was recommended that females should delay
marriage until they gain employable skills. To reduce the number of children
ever born, it was recommended that husbands should communicate with their
wives about the benefits of giving birth to a fewer number of children.
