Female socio-economic status, fertility decision-making and fertility behaviour in the Akuapem South District

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.