Reconfiguring a New Tradition of Ideal Family Size: A Case Study of the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong, 1977–1982

Author(s):  
Wendy Siuyi Wong
1984 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
William K. A. Agyei

SummaryA summary of 298 male and 358 female respondents in the Lae urban area of Papua New Guinea in 1981 revealed a relatively high level of contraceptive awareness, but the level of contraceptive use is low. However, the overall current usages of non-traditional methods for the wives of the male and for the female respondents are 34–2% and 37% respectively. The male and the female respondents have the same views on the ideal family size—approximately three children.


Author(s):  
Varuna Pathak ◽  
Madhuri Chandra ◽  
Veena Rathi Bisani

Background: India is the most populous country in the world, sustaining 17.5% of the world’s population on 2.4% of the world’s surface area. Despite of India being the first country to formulate a National Family Planning Programme in 1952, the population of India continues to rise. Therefore a basic question arises, as to why do couple have a third child? For stabilization of population every couple must on an average have 2.2 children, but how far our family planning programmes having an impact on the beneficiaries, in terms of their ideologies and utilisation of the programme. To get answers to the above question the present study was undertaken with the following aims and objectives to determine the views about ideal family size and ideal spacing, to determine the degree of knowledge about various contraceptive methods, to know the family size amongst population not adopting small family norm and to know the reason for non-acceptance of family planning methods.Methods: This was a hospital based case control study. Cases were women with two live children and not practicing family planning. Controls included women who opted for family planning methods and adopted the two child norm. Both cases and controls were asked to fill up a questionnaire.Results: Most people practicing small family norm view ideal number of issues ≤ 2 i.e. 88% of males and 91% of females. 59.8% couples not practicing family planning, think ideal spacing ≤ 2 years. 100% controls had the concept of contraception.Conclusions: Desire for a male child in 30.6% cases is the most common reason for couples not following the 2 child norm.


1973 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Ware

SummaryThe data in this paper are drawn from interviews with a probability sample of 2652 once-married women under the age of 60 currently living with their husbands in 1971 in metropolitan Melbourne. Although drawing from other material from the 2½ hr interviews the discussion concentrates upon the family size ideals of these wives. In addition to the customary measures of ideal family size, new measures of the upper and lower limits of acceptable family size are described, together with the reactions of the whole sample to a wide range of specified family sizes and the reasons for accepting or rejecting them. It is shown that the eventual achievement of zero population growth will almost certainly depend upon the two-child family becoming the norm for the great majority of couples, since childless or one-child marriages are desired by only 2% of couples. Currently, however, 20% of wives consider two-child families to be undesirably small. The marked religious, country of origin and educational differentials in acceptance of the two-child family are also discussed.


1984 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. Saksena ◽  
J. N. Srivastava

SummaryUsing follow-up data on a sample of mothers who gave birth at a Lucknow city hospital, the family size ideals of the women were examined in relation to experienced and perceived levels of child mortality and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.The fear of child mortality and their own experience tended to increase the size of family which the mothers considered to be ideal. Lower ideal family size was found among younger women, those who married at later ages and those currently using contraception. Family size preferences were also influenced by rural/urban background, religion, caste, type of family, education, income and occupation of husband and type of housing.


1975 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Ware

SummaryThe data in this paper are drawn from interviews with a stratified probability sample of 2996 Yoruba men and women aged 17 or above living in Lagos and Western States in June–July 1973. Although drawing upon other material from the 1 ½-hour interviews the discussion concentrates upon the family size ideals of these individuals. In addition to the customary measures of ideal family size, new measures of the limits of acceptable family size are described, together with the reactions of the whole sample to a wide range of statements relating to family size and the value of children. It is shown that the smallest family which would be acceptable to any appreciable proportion of the population is four children, which would be acceptable to 18% of all respondents. Comparative data from elsewhere in the developing world are presented to show that African family size ideals are amongst the highest in the world. Age, educational and occupational differentials in perceptions of different family sizes are also discussed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. WHITE ◽  
C. HALL ◽  
B. WOLFF

Summary.A characteristic of African pre-transitional fertility regimes is large ideal family size. This has been used to support claims of cultural entrenchment of high fertility. Yet in Kenya fertility rates have fallen. In this paper this fall is explored in relation to trends in fertility norms and attitudes using four sequential cross-sectional surveys spanning the fertility transition in Kenya (1978, 1984, 1989 and 1998). The most rapid fall in the reported ideal family size occurred between 1984 and 1989, whilst the most rapid fall in the total fertility rate occurred 5 to 10 years later, between 1989 and 1998. Thus these data, spanning the fertility transition in Kenya, support the traditional demographic model that demand for fertility limitation drives fertility decline. These data also suggest that the decline in fertility norms over time was partly a period effect, as the reported ideal family size was seen to fall simultaneously in all age cohorts, and partly a cohort effect, as older age cohorts reporting higher ideal family sizes were replaced by younger cohorts reporting lower ideal family sizes. These data also suggest that a new fertility norm of four children may have developed by 1989 and continued until 1998. This is consistent with, and perhaps could have been used to predict, the stall in the Kenyan fertility decline after 1998.


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