Abstract
A shantytown is a peri-urban collection of dwellings constructed without any official subdivision plan on land not owned by the builders and not zoned for housing purposes. This is an economic and sociological analysis of the shantytowns in Montego Bay Jamaica. Demographic analysis reveals that the proportion of young children is very high. Children under 5 make up 19% of the total population compared with 16% on the national average. Only 11% of the population is 45 or older compared with 14% for the total population. The sex ratio in the shantytowns was more balanced than in urban areas as a whole. Most shantytown dwellers are long-time urbanites not rootless rural migrants. There are positive attitudes toward family planning in Jamaica. Shantytown residents form a potential reservoir of family planning participation. Despite a massive publicity campaign since 1969 the percentage of women in shantytown areas who are participating in family planning programs has not increased much. These women are motivated to control their births if clinic education programs could emphasize economic reasons for doing so.
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