The determinants of fertility in rural Egypt: a study of Menoufia and Beni-Suef governorates.

Abstract

SummaryHigh levels of fertility in rural areas of many developing societies are an issue of considerable concern to the scientific community and to those interested in public policy. This paper reports on the determinants of fertility in two rural areas in Egypt: Menoufia and Beni-Suef governorates. There are important differences in fertility between the two areas; the total fertility rate is 7·88 in Beni-Suef and 6·03 in Menoufia. These aggregate differences are the result of even larger differences between the two areas in the proximate determinants of fertility, particularly age at marriage, breast-feeding and contraceptive use. Much of the difference in breast-feeding behaviour can be explained by differences in the educational composition of the two populations; the level of female education in Menoufia is considerably higher than in Beni-Suef. However, differences in contraceptive use cannot be explained by differences in the socioeconomic composition of the two populations. The differences may be the result of greater institutional support for contraceptive use and lower fertility in Menoufia, where intensive family planning and maternal health programmes have been in operation for several years.