Abstract
In 1971 a large-scale electrification project was implemented in a rural area in the southern Philippines. Approximately 1 year later the area experienced a rapid decline in marital fertility which lowered the birth rate from 46-30 within 4 years. The influence that the provision of electricity (in the presence of other developmental efforts and of the availability of modern family planning services) had on generating fertility-reducing social and economic change is explored. Following a detailed description of the area (the Misamis Oriental Province) including social and economic characteristics and recent change the fertility trends and family planning behavior of residents are discussed. Electricity is seen to have a community-level impact on the nonagricultural and agricultural economy on health and environmental sanitation and on education and social activities as well as a household-level impact by changing income patterns of female employment savings and investments and perceived costs and benefits of children. The influences of rural development combined with the availability of fertility control measures has changed contraceptive behavior and thus led to a lowered birth rate.
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