FERTILITY DETERMINANTS AMONG WOMEN IN WESTERN TANZANIA: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY

Abstract

Numerous studies in Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1990s highlighted alarmingly high fertility rates, leading to global concerns. Subsistence farming, a common practice in the region, heavily relies on children as a primary labor source. Consequently, parents often perceive the quality of their children's human capital as a substitute for quantity. This heightened the global awareness of fertility issues. Researchers have established a negative relationship between fertility and economic growth, emphasizing the potential for unchecked fertility to perpetuate poverty at both the household and national levels. In 1992, the Tanzanian government introduced its initial population policy to address high fertility rates, subsequently revising it in 2006. Tanzania's current Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stands at 5.2, one of the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa but significantly high compared to global TFR levels. The Kigoma Reproductive Health Survey of 2014 indicates a consistent decline in fertility rates across Tanzania. From 1989 to 1996, the Total Fertility Rate dropped from 6.3 births per woman to 5.8 births. The most recent data from the TDHS-MIS 2015-16 suggests a TFR of 5.2 children per woman. Notably, childbearing peaks among women aged 20-24 at 236 births per 1,000 women and steadily declines thereafter, reaching 15 births per 1,000 women among those aged 45-49. Therefore, an effective strategy to control fertility involves delaying the marriage of young women during their early and fertile reproductive years.