Few Married Women Use a Method in Cote d'Ivoire, but Fertility is Decreasing

Abstract

Summary findings from the 1994 Cote dIvoire Demographic and Health Survey among 8099 women aged 15-49 years and 2552 men aged 15-59 years reveal that fertility declined from 7.2 births in 1979 to 5.7 lifetime births per woman in 1993. Fertility was higher among older cohorts. Age at first birth remained at the median age of 19 years. Over 35% of women aged 15-19 years were pregnant with their first child or had already given birth. Fertility levels varied by educational status residence and religion. Fertility was higher among women with no schooling rural women and women with animist traditions or no religion. Men desired 6.0 children and women desired 5.5 children. Ideal family size declined from the oldest to the youngest cohorts. Only 8% of births in the 5 years preceding the survey were unwanted. 22% of married women desired no more children. The proportion of women who desired no more children did not vary by education residence or religion. 65% of women had a traditional legal or informal union. 26% had never been married. 6% were separated or divorced. 2% were widowed. 15% of women aged 20-49 years were married before the age of 15 years. The median age of marriage was 19 years for women and 27 years for men. About 78% of women and 90% of men knew about at least one contraceptive method. Knowledge was highest among sexually active unmarried women. The condom was the most widely known method. 35% of women had ever used a method of contraception and 24% had ever used a modern method. 49% of sexually active noncohabiting women were using a method at the time of the survey compared to only 11% of married women. Current modern method use was 18% among sexually active unmarried women and 4% among married women. The most widely used method was periodic abstinence followed by the use of condoms and pills. Modern method use was more likely among better educated women urban women and Catholic women.