Table 1.
Fertility preferences across women’s socio-economic status and their demographic characteristics.
Source: Computed from 2014 GDHS
| Variables | Weighted N | Weighted % | Fertility preferences | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Want no more (40.3%) | Want a (another) child (59.7%) | |||
| Socio-economic variables | ||||
| Wealth quintile | ||||
| Poorest | 1001 | 18.6 | 35.3 | 64.7 |
| Poorer | 961 | 17.8 | 52.6 | 47.4 |
| Middle | 1080 | 20.0 | 45.6 | 54.4 |
| Richer | 1110 | 20.6 | 40.1 | 59.9 |
| Richest | 1238 | 23.0 | 37.1 | 62.9 |
| Level of education | ||||
| No education | 1429 | 26.5 | 42.6 | 57.4 |
| Primary | 980 | 18.2 | 48.0 | 52.0 |
| Secondary | 2697 | 50.1 | 39.7 | 60.3 |
| Higher | 283 | 5.3 | 37.0 | 63.0 |
| Partner’s level of education | ||||
| No education | 1094 | 20.3 | 38.4 | 60.6 |
| Primary | 473 | 8.8 | 41.7 | 58.3 |
| Secondary | 3181 | 59.0 | 44.3 | 55.7 |
| Higher | 640 | 11.9 | 33.8 | 66.2 |
| Demographic variables | ||||
| Age | ||||
| 15–19 | 105 | 2.0 | 5.8 | 94.2 |
| 20–24 | 621 | 11.5 | 9.1 | 90.9 |
| 25–29 | 1074 | 19.9 | 17.5 | 82.5 |
| 30–34 | 1105 | 20.5 | 34.3 | 65.7 |
| 35–39 | 1028 | 19.1 | 50.5 | 49.5 |
| 40–44 | 810 | 15.0 | 72.2 | 27.8 |
| 45–49 | 646 | 12.0 | 80.9 | 19.1 |
| Residence | ||||
| Urban | 2747 | 51.0 | 41.0 | 59.0 |
| Rural | 2642 | 49.0 | 42.8 | 57.2 |
| Occupation | ||||
| Not working | 663 | 12.3 | 32.7 | 67.3 |
| Managerial | 370 | 6.9 | 29.9 | 70.1 |
| Clerical | 48 | 0.9 | 38.3 | 61.7 |
| Sales | 2246 | 41.7 | 43.3 | 56.7 |
| Agricultural | 1320 | 24.5 | 48.6 | 51.4 |
| Household | 27 | 0.5 | 36.7 | 63.3 |
| Manual | 715 | 13.3 | 39.9 | 60.1 |
| Region | ||||
| Western | 536 | 9.9 | 45.2 | 54.8 |
| Central | 552 | 10.24 | 48.0 | 52.0 |
| Greater Accra | 1045 | 19.4 | 42.4 | 57.6 |
| Volta | 431 | 8.0 | 52.9 | 47.1 |
| Eastern | 527 | 9.8 | 50.7 | 49.3 |
| Ashanti | 972 | 18.0 | 43.7 | 56.3 |
| Brong Ahafo | 418 | 7.8 | 40.1 | 59.9 |
| Northern | 554 | 10.3 | 21.2 | 78.9 |
| Upper East | 223 | 4.1 | 33.0 | 67.0 |
| Upper West | 133 | 2.5 | 33.7 | 66.3 |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Akan | 2591 | 48.1 | 47.4 | 52.7 |
| Ga-Adangbe/Ewe | 1142 | 21.2 | 51.0 | 49.0 |
| Mole-Dagbani | 849 | 15.8 | 31.3 | 68.7 |
| Others | 807 | 15.0 | 28.5 | 71.5 |
| Parity | ||||
| 0–3 births | 3147 | 58.4 | 21.0 | 79.0 |
| Four or more births | 2242 | 41.6 | 71.1 | 28.9 |
| Religion | ||||
| Christianity | 4225 | 78.4 | 43.9 | 56.1 |
| Islam | 862 | 16.0 | 26.5 | 73.5 |
| Traditionalist | 141 | 2.6 | 41.0 | 59.0 |
| No religion | 161 | 3.0 | 42.6 | 57.4 |
| Frequency of reading newspaper/magazine | ||||
| Not at all | 4694 | 87.1 | 42.7 | 57.3 |
| Less than a week | 359 | 6.7 | 38.4 | 61.6 |
| At least once a week | 336 | 6.2 | 33.9 | 66.1 |
| Frequency of listening to radio | ||||
| Not at all | 837 | 15.5 | 43.0 | 57.0 |
| Less than once a week | 1744 | 32.4 | 43.1 | 56.9 |
| At least once a week | 2808 | 52.1 | 40.7 | 59.3 |
| Frequency of watching television | ||||
| Not at all | 1421 | 26.4 | 48.4 | 51.6 |
| Less than once a week | 1352 | 25.1 | 40.0 | 60.0 |
| At least once a week | 2616 | 49.6 | 39.2 | 60.8 |