Volume 46 - Article 17 | Pages 503–546
Accuracy of wives' proxy reports of husbands' fertility preferences in sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract
Background: Demographic researchers have recognized the importance of male partners in reproductive behavior and decision-making. Yet much of the existing literature still relies on female respondents reporting on behalf of their spouses.
Objective: The objective of this study is to estimate the accuracy of wives’ reports of husbands’ fertility preferences in 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods: We used couple-level data from Demographic and Health Surveys to evaluate the accuracy of wives’ reports of their husbands’ fertility preferences in 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We created a measure of accuracy based on each partner’s response to a set of fertility preference questions. We examined the overall percentages of wives who were accurate, inaccurate, or uncertain across countries.
Results: Despite the fact that most couples were concordant in wanting more children, we found variation in the percentages of wives who were accurate in their proxy reports, ranging from 26% in Chad to 58% in Rwanda. By contrast, percentages of wives who were inaccurate were similar; approximately one-third of wives across all countries gave proxy responses that were at odds with their husbands’ responses. Large percentages of wives were uncertain of their husbands’ fertility preferences, reaching 50% in Comoros.
Conclusions: These findings indicate low levels of spousal discussion of fertility preferences. We encourage survey organizations to invest in collecting data from males directly.
Contribution: By demonstrating that majorities of wives across countries either inaccurately perceive or are uncertain of their husband’s fertility preferences, the current study justifies collecting data from male partners directly.
Author's Affiliation
- Dana Sarnak - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States of America EMAIL
- Stan Becker - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States of America EMAIL
Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research
Predictive utility of key family planning indicators on dynamic contraceptive outcomes: Results from longitudinal surveys in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, and Côte d'Ivoire
Volume 50 - Article 45
The crossover between life expectancies at birth and at age one: The imbalance in the life table
Volume 24 - Article 4
Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research
Climate change and fertility desires: An experimental study among university students in Belgium and Italy
Volume 51 - Article 2
| Keywords:
Belgium,
climate change,
fertility desires,
Italy,
students,
young adults
Using Respondent-Driven Sampling to measure abortion safety in restrictive contexts: Results from Kaya (Burkina Faso) and Nairobi (Kenya)
Volume 50 - Article 47
| Keywords:
induced abortion,
respondents-driven samples,
social networks,
sub-Saharan Africa
Predictive utility of key family planning indicators on dynamic contraceptive outcomes: Results from longitudinal surveys in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, and Côte d'Ivoire
Volume 50 - Article 45
| Keywords:
contraception,
contraceptive adoption,
contraceptive discontinuation,
contraceptive use,
family planning,
longitudinal data,
methods,
panel data,
Performance and Monitoring for Action (PMA) surveys,
sub-Saharan Africa
Pathways and obstacles to parenthood among women in same-sex couples in Spain
Volume 50 - Article 35
| Keywords:
assisted reproduction,
family,
fertility desires,
LGBTQ,
parenthood,
same-sex couples
A new look at contraceptive prevalence plateaus in sub-Saharan Africa: A probabilistic approach
Volume 50 - Article 31
| Keywords:
contraceptive prevalence plateaus,
demand for family planning,
family planning,
modern contraceptive prevalence,
probabilistic model
Cited References: 80
Download to Citation Manager
PubMed
Google Scholar