The demand for fertility control in Pakistan.

Abstract

The analysis of fertility and contraceptive use data for Pakistan is directed toward estimating the likelihood of contraceptive use. Data are drawn from the 1975 Fertility Survey, the 1979-80 Population, Labor Force, and Migration Survey, the 1984-85 Contraceptive Prevalence Survey, and the 1990-91 Demographic and Health Survey. Increased demand for family planning is construed to be reflected in the excess number of children over the desired number of children according to the Easterlin and Crimmons and the Bulatao and Lee frameworks. A higher probability of contraceptive use is expected to be related to having a large family. Findings indicate that there was a lack of correspondence between the desire for no more children and actual use of contraception. The proportion desiring no more children was 40-50%. In the logistic model, the findings show that the likelihood of contraceptive use in all surveys was significantly increased with women's education, urban residence, and family planning accessibility. The number of living and desired children were independent of each other, and neither factor influenced significantly the demand for contraception. The nature of and magnitude of the effect varied for each survey. The generalized conclusion was that contraceptive use is not being used by women who desire no more children. Although contraceptive use has increased over time, the number of desired children has remained stable. The suggestion is to target women aged 35-44 years who appear to have achieved their desired fertility and to expand levels of education and economic and social opportunities for women.