The Relationship between Socio-Demographic Indicators and the Age of Marriage of Women in Azerbaijan

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to study the current marital status of the local population of women by means of a questionnaire. Materials and methods. A free anonymous sociological prospective study was conducted among women of reproductive age in Baku. Questionnaires in the Azerbaijani language were distributed to women in polyclinics in the Sabail, Yasamal, Sabunchi and Azizbek districts of Baku. In total, 3,000 questionnaires were distributed, 2,533 questionnaires were collected back, of which 1,221 questionnaires fully contained answers to the questions asked. The study was conducted in 2021. The medical workers of the institutions actively participated in the distribution of the questionnaires and their return collection. They also filled out the questionnaires themselves and involved relatives and neighbors in the survey. The age of the women ranged from 18 to 47 years and all of them were of Azerbaijani nationality. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using Student's t-test. Results and discussion. It was found that the largest share fell on women who are married, the indicator of which is 50.7 ± 1.8%. The share of women who did not marry increased significantly - 25.5 ± 1.6%. 51.2 ± 2.5% planned to have two children, 26.2 ± 2.2% planned to have one child, 12.6 ± 1.7% of women planned the birth of three children and 4.6 ± 1.1% of women planned the birth of four children. It was established that for each woman there were on average 2.56 ± 0.43 cases of pregnancy, 0.79 ± 0.11 abortions, 0.30 ± 0.08 unplanned children, 2.15 ± 0.41 actually born children. Ineffective family planning, unprotected sex, or improper use of contraceptives leads to a large number of pregnancies that exceed the number of planned children. There are on average 2.56 ± 0.43 pregnancies per one woman. Therefore, many women resort to abortions, on average 0.79 ± 0.11 abortions per one woman. At the same time, for various reasons, a number of women do not resort to abortions, which leads to the birth of unplanned children, the number of which is 0.30 ± 0.08 children per woman, which increases the number of actually born children to an average of 2.15 ± 0. 41 children per one woman. Conclusion. Thus, the current situation with the family system requires the need to conduct clear, accessible information and explanatory work among women about the timely creation and planning of a family, the rational use of contraceptives, and the dangers of abortion to health. Further study of the problem of late marriage will help protect women's health and improve the socio-demographic indicators of the Republic of Azerbaijan