Table 3.
The associations between marital, interpersonal and socioeconomic factors and childlessness versus having five or more children in Lopon, 2007
| Variable | n (%) | % Childless |
p-value | Univariate OR (95% CI) |
Multivariate OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Marriagea Married to first husband |
<0.0001 | ||||
| Yes | 89 (62.7) | 32.6 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| No | 53 (37.3) | 67.9 | 6.66 (2.53–17.57) | 2.26 (0.28–18.40) | |
| Current marital status | <0.0001 | ||||
| Married | 106 (75.2) | 32.6 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Has no partner | 26 (18.4) | 76.5 | 3.19 (1.73–5.89) | 1.46 (0.52–4.07) | |
| Times married | 0.001 | ||||
| Once | 109 (77.3) | 38.5 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Twice or more | 32 (22.7) | 71.9 | 4.47 (1.65–12.11) | 1.36 (0.20–9.49) | |
| At first marriage did your husband have another wife? |
0.73 | ||||
| Yes | 30 (21.3) | 43.3 | 1.00 | ||
| No | 111 (78.7) | 46.9 | 1.00 (0.44–2.25) | ||
| Did your husband later marry another wife? | <0.0001 | ||||
| Yes | 46 (34.1) | 76.1 | 7.88 (3.01–20.65) | 7.61 (2.50–23.24) | |
| No | 89 (65.9) | 28.1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Would the husband be justified in leaving his wife, if they were unable to have children? |
0.002 | ||||
| Yes | 21 (14.9) | 76.2 | 4.48 (1.47–13.66) | 3.88(0.52–28.74) | |
| No | 120 (85.1) | 40.0 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Would the wife be justified in leaving her husband, if they were unable to have children? |
0.005 | ||||
| Yes | 20 (14.4) | 75.0 | 4.22 (1.37–12.97) | ||
| No | 119 (85.6) | 41.2 | 1.00 | ||
|
Interpersonal factorsb How did your husband’s mother treat you as a young married wife? Helpful to you? |
0.30 | ||||
| Yes | 127 (95.5) | 44.9 | 1.00 | ||
| No | 6 (4.5) | 66.7 | 1.45 (0.22–9.56) | ||
| Did you quarrel? | 0.09 | ||||
| No | 12 (9.8) | 25.0 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 111 (90.2) | 50.5 | 2.99 (0.61–14.60) | 4.33 (0.46–40.48) | |
| Did she change the way she treated you? | 0.01 | ||||
| No | 17 (13.6) | 76.5 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 108 (86.4) | 43.5 | 5.58 (1.52–20.51) | 0.22 (0.04–1.25) | |
| How did your husband treat you as a young married wife? Did you quarrel? |
0.02 | ||||
| No | 19 (15.1) | 21.1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 107 (84.9) | 49.5 | 3.18 (0.86–11.80) | 1.88 (0.21–16.82) | |
| Did he abuse you? | 0.15 | ||||
| No | 6 (4.8) | 16.7 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 119 (95.2) | 47.1 | 3.14 (0.34–28.60) | 0.78 (0.04–16.85) | |
| Did your husband change how he treated you? | 0.05 | ||||
| No | 51 (35.9) | 56.9 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 91 (64.1) | 39.6 | 2.24 (1.03–4.84) | 1.57 (0.56–4.35) | |
| The number of children you have, does that influence the way you are treated by your: Husband? |
0.0001 | ||||
| No | 20 (17.5) | 75.0 | 1.00 | ||
| Yes | 94 (82.5) | 28.7 | 13.87 (1.83–105.27) | ||
| Husband’s mother? | 0.0001 | ||||
| No | 17 (17.7) | 76.5 | 1.00 | ||
| Yes | 79 (82.3) | 30.4 | 12.16 (1.55–95.54) | ||
| Husband’s sister? | 0.008 | ||||
| No | 17 (17.7) | 64.7 | 1.00 | ||
| Yes | 79 (82.3) | 30.4 | 5.27 (1.17–23.84) | ||
|
Socioeconomic factors Education in years |
0.05 | ||||
| <1 | 46 (32.4) | 43.5 | 1.33 (0.49–3.60) | 0.80 (0.21–3.06) | |
| 1–6 (primary) | 36 (25.4) | 36.1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| 7–12 (secondary) | 23 (16.2) | 34.8 | 1.14 (0.35–3.70) | 0.11 (0.01–1.13) | |
| Above secondary | 37 (26.1) | 64.9 | 3.89 (1.20–12.54) | 7.98 (0.62–102) | |
| What economic activities do you do today? | 0.002 | ||||
| Trading | 25 (17.6) | 44.0 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| Farming | 74 (52.1) | 36.5 | 0.88 (0.34–2.31) | 1.32 (0.29–6.10) | |
| Teaching | 21 (14.8) | 52.4 | 2.14 (0.60–7.61) | 0.20 (0.02–2.41) | |
| Other | 17 (12.0) | 88.2 | 8.99 (1.71–47.16) | 88.77 (2.64–2989) | |
| Did your economic activities change over time? |
0.008 | ||||
| Yes | 30 (24.6) | 26.7 | 1.00 | ||
| No | 92 (75.4) | 54.4 | 4.20 (1.38–12.84) | ||
| Do you participate in family meetings? | 0.03 | ||||
| Yes | 111 (78.7) | 40.5 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| No | 30 (21.3) | 63.3 | 2.78 (1.10–7.06) | 8.55 (1.72–42.62) | |
| Do you own personal property? | 0.40 | ||||
| Yes | 14 (10.0) | 35.7 | 1.00 | ||
| No | 126 (90.0) | 47.6 | 1.53 (0.38–6.13) | ||
| Are you circumcised? | 0.18 | ||||
| Yes | 52 (36.6) | 38.5 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| No | 90 (63.4) | 50.0 | 1.29 (0.62–2.68) | 0.35 (0.03–4.04) | |
| Did you do your kukpolm? | 0.005 | ||||
| Yes | 64 (45.1) | 32.8 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| No | 78 (54.9) | 56.4 | 2.39 (1.03–5.88) | 6.59 (1.41–30.77) | |
| Do you participate in a woman’s association? | 0.05 | ||||
| Yes | 103 (73.6) | 40.8 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| No | 37 (26.4) | 59.5 | 1.74 (0.80–3.79) | 0.53 (0.17–1.66) | |
| Does having children make a woman a different person? |
0.02 | ||||
| Yes | 114 (82.6) | 40.4 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| No | 24 (17.4) | 66.7 | 2.89 (1.15–7.24) | 8.99 (1.80–44.99) | |
| Cared for non-biological children? | 0.71 | ||||
| Yes | 85 (59.9) | 47.1 | 1.00 | ||
| No | 57 (40.1) | 43.9 | 0.76 (0.37–1.58) | ||
| Do you receive anything from children you have cared forc? |
0.12 | ||||
| Yes | 29 (34.1) | 58.6 | 1.00 | ||
| No | 56 (65.9) | 41.1 | 0.39 (0.09–1.64) | ||
a
The multivariate model for marriage did not converge when it simultaneously included the two variables ‘Would the husband be justified in leaving his wife, if they were unable to have children?’ and ‘Would the wife be justified in leaving her husband, if they were unable to have children?’ The multivariate models were almost identical whether they included one or the other variable.
b
Did not include any of the variables within the group of variables ‘The number of children you have, does that influence the way you are treated by your…’ in the multivariate model. Model did not converge when these variables were included.
c
The multivariate model for socioeconomic factors did not converge when this variable was included.