Family Planning Programs and Fertility Preferences in Northern Ghana

This paper contributes to understanding the associations between a culturally sensitive family planning program and fertility preferences. Previous research on family planning programs are largely focused on addressing unmet need for contraception. Yet, scholars have asserted that even if the expressed need for contraception is met, fertility will remain above replacement levels. Needed to propel low fertility and accelerate economic developments are programs that influence explicit desires to limit child-bearing at low parities. This paper uses longitudinal data from an economically adverse setting (the Navrongo experiment) in Northern Ghana to examine the impact of culturally sensitive family planning program on fertility preferences. Results show that fertility desires are largely a function of the Navrongo experiment net of individual socio-economic characteristics. Involving traditional social institutions in health planning and services is significantly related to promoting preferences for smaller family sizes among women. Overall, women seem to be shifting towards smaller family sizes although decline in preferences is comparatively modest to precipitate transition to low fertility. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of policy frameworks to increase access to contraception in developing countries.