Media Influence and Differential Fertility Preference Formation of Couples in Sub-Saharan Africa
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(1) Cornell University Population and Development Programme, Ithaca, NY 14853,
Corresponding Author
Abstract
The paper investigates determinants of differential ideal family size of couples in two sub-Saharan African countries, Ghana and Kenya. Whilst the theory of positive assortative mating and prior empirical evidence suggest that couples agree on ideal family size, cross-country means are found to mask the extent to which couples disagree. Using data on the percentage of couples whose ideal family sizes do not coincide, substantially more disagreement emerges. The paper examines what observable factors have the greatest apparent differential impact on ideal family size between couples. The analysis pinpoints exposure to radio broadcasts as a major determinant of ideal family size, with the apparent effects greater for husbands than wives. (Afr I Rep rod Health 1998;2 (2):66—8 1)
KEY WORDS: Fertility, family size, gender, Ghana, Kenya
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