Fertility Behavior of Various Socio-Economic Groups in Rural Africa: Longitudinal Evidence from The Kassena-Nankana District Of Northern Ghana

This paper shows the relationship between socio-economic status and fertility behavior in a rural African setting. We combine a quasi-experimental introduction of family planning services in the Kassena-Nankana districts of Ghana with longitudinal data to estimate the impact of socio-economic status (measured by woman’s education, her husband’s education and wealth) on fertility preferences, regulation and outcomes. We track the fertility behavior and outcomes of more than 24,000 women in their reproductive age (15-49) over a period of eighteen years. Our results show that, before the interventions, educated women did not have significantly fewer children, but desired lower family sizes and were more likely to use modern contraceptives. However, husband’s education was associated with lower fertility especially when their wives were also educated. Wealth is associated with higher births, reflecting a higher child survival rate in wealthy families. The family planning interventions affected both educated and uneducated women but the effect on educated women stronger, leading to the emergence of an education-fertility differential 17 years. Our results suggest that in settings where men dominate reproductive decision-making, their education status may have a stronger effect on fertility than the educational attainment of women.