Fertility Attitudes and Preferences in Rural South India

Inge Hutter, University of Groningen
N.V. Rajeswari, J.S.S. Institute of Economic Research
J.S. Hallad, J.S.S. Institute of Economic Research
B.M. Ramesh, J.S.S. Institute of Economic Research

The paper focuses on attitudes and preferences of women about the desired number of children and sons and daughters, and the perceived ideal duration of birth intervals and proximate determinants postpartum amenorrhoea, postpartum abstinence and sexual abstinence in general. Also, the paper discusses attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (model Fishbein and Ajzen 1990; Ajzen 1992) about the use of modern contraceptive methods. The paper describes data collected through survey and in-depth interviews in Dharwad taluka, Karnataka in 1997-98. Preferences and attitudes are compared to actual behaviour. Data on preferences about the duration of birth intervals and proximate determinants e.g. indicate that women prefer longer durations. Also, women indeed want more sons than daughters. But, despite son preference, daughters are wanted as well.