The Proximate Fertility Determinants among Sudanese Women in an urban community, Case study of El Dueim town

Abstract

Fertility is one of the factors responsible for the pattern of population change that is believed to be taking place in Sudan, this study is an attempt to investigate some factors affecting fertility in a Sudanese urban setting, taking El Dueim town as a case study.

Bongaarts,s model for the" proximate determinants of fertility" is used as the analytical framework . Marriage pattern, contraception and post-partum infecundity are analyzed as the main proximate determinants that affect fertility directly. A sample of ever –married women aged 15-49 years was selected from the 28 neighborhoods in El Duim town. The sample was selected randomly using stratified cluster sampling procedure. The1993’s census’ projection of El Dueim town formed the sampling frame. The data was collected by face to face interview using a designed questionnaire. Education, occupation and type of residence have a considerable effect on the proximate determinants of fertility. Ever-use, knowledge and current use of contraceptives are found to be more common among the women who are educated, engaged in gainful jobs and reside in the town centre & government houses; post-partum infecundity periods are longer among the uneducated, unemployed and those who reside in fourth class neighborhood. The long period of infecundity is considered as the main mean to delay birth among this group.