Abstract
This paper offers a framework for analyzing how individual characteristics and urban or rural "place" factors interact to influence fertility decisions. The framework builds on the Davis-Blake model and additionally shows how place or community variables influence exposure to intercourse, conception, and birth, either with or without a conscious decisionmaking process. The framework emphasizes the way person and place related factors combine to determine a woman's perception of her life options before bearing any children, as well as how changes in these factors may affect subsequent child decisions. The framework is briefly illustrated by the Tanzanian case. The analysis highlights urban-based considerations, such as education-wage differentials, which may influence the rural couple's decisions. A comparison of two rural cohorts shows that specific community variables such as cultural attitudes, accessibility, general educational levels, and child mortality mediate the influence of these urban-based phenomena.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Adegbola, O., Page, H.J. & Lesthaege, R. Breastfeeding and post-partum abstinence in metropolitan Lagos. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, St. Louis, April 1977.
Anker, R. The effect of group level variables on fertility in a rural Indian sample.Journal of Development Studies 1977,14 63–76.
Armer, M. & Isaac, L. Determinants and behavioral consequences of psychological modernity: Empirical evidence from Costa Rica.American Sociology Review 1978,43 316–334.
Balakrishnan, T.R. Determinants of female age at marriage in rural and semi-urban areas of four Latin American countries.Journal of Comparative Family Studies 1976,7 167–173.
Barnum, H.N. & Sabot, R.H.Migration, Education and Urban Surplus Labor: The Case of Tanzania. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 1976.
Bledsoe, C. Women's marital strategies among the Kpelle of Liberia.Journal of Anthropological Research 1976,32 372–389.
Caldwell, J. C. Fertility and the household economy in Nigeria.Journal of Comparative Family Studies 1976,7 193–253.
Caldwell, J.C. & Caldwell, P. Demographic and contraceptive innovators: A study of transitional African society.Journal of Biosocial Science 1976,8 347–365.
Carleton, R.O. Fertility trends and differentials in Latin America.Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 1965,43 15–31.
Chen, K.-H., Wishik, S.H. & Scrimshaw, S. Effects of unstable sexual unions on fertility in Guayaquil, Ecuador.Social Biology 1974,21 353–359.
Cleave, J.H.African farmers: Labor Use in the Development of Small-holder Agriculture. New York: Praeger, 1974.
Clignet, R. & Sween, J. Ethnicity and fertility: Implications for population programs in Africa.Africa 1978,48 47–65.
Davidson, A.R., Jaccard, J.T., Triandis, H.C., Morales, M.L., & Diaz-Guerrero, R. Cross-cultural model testing: Toward a solution of the etic-emic dilemma.International Journal of Psychology 1976,11 1–13.
Davis, K. & Blake, J. Social structure and fertility: An analytical framework.Economic Development and Cultural Change 1956,4 211–235.
DaVanzo, J.The Determinants of Family Formation in Chile, 1960: An Econometric Study of Female Labor Force Participation, Marriage, and Fertility Decisions. Report R-830-AID, 1972. Santa Monica, California: Rand Corporation.
Duncan, O.D. & Schnore, L.F. Cultural, behavioral and ecological perspectives in the study of social organization.American Journal of Sociology 1959,65 132–146.
Ewbank, D.C. Indicators of fertility levels in Tanzania: Differentials and trends in reported parity and childlessness. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, St. Louis, April 1977.
Findley, S.E. & Orr, A.C. Patterns of urban-rural fertility differentials in developing countries: A suggested framework for analysis. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Agency for International Development, Development Support Bureau, Office of Urban Development, 1978.
Fortman, L. Women and Tanzanian agricultural development. Economic Research Bureau Paper 77.4. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: University of Dar es Salaam, Economic Research Bureau, 1978.
Freedman, D.S. Mass media and modern consumer goods: Their suitability for policy interventions to decrease fertility. In R.G. Ridker (ed.),Population and Development: The Search for Selective Interventions. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.
Frisch, R.E. Demographic implications of the biological determinants of female fecundity.Social Biology 1975,22 17–22.
Goldberg, D. Residential location and fertility. In R.G. Ridker (ed.),Population and Development: The Search for Selective Interventions. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.
Goody, J. & Buckley, J. Inheritance and women's labor in Africa.Africa 1973,43 108–121.
Handwerker, W.P. Family, fertility and economics.Current Anthropology 1977,18 259–287.
Hass, P.H. Maternal role incompatibility and fertility in urban Latin America.Journal of Social Issues 1974,30 125–165.
Hass, P.H. Wanted and unwanted pregnancies: A fertility decision-making model.Journal of Social Issues 1972,28 11–127.
Henin, R.A., Ewbank, D. & Hogan, H. (eds.).The Demography of Tanzania: An Analysis of the 1973 National Demographic Survey of Tanzania, Vol. 6. Dar es Salaam: BRALUP and Bureau of Statistics, 1977.
Holsinger, D.B. & Kasarda, J.D. Education and human fertility: Sociological perspectives. In R.G. Ridker (ed.),Population and Development: The Search for Selective Interventions. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976, 154–181.
Kane, F. Femmes proletaires du Senegal, a la ville et aux champs.Cahiers d'Etudes Africaines 1977,17 77–94.
Kar, S.B. Consistency between fertility attitudes and behavior: A conceptual model.Population Studies 1978,32 173–185.
Kennedy, R.E., Jr., Paul-Bello, M. & Rojas de Lara, M. Linkages between female educational status and fertility in Venezuela. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, April 1974.
Kocher, J. Rural development and demographic change in northeastern Tanzania.New Perspectives on the Demographic Transition. Interdisciplinary Communications Program Monograph No. 4. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1976.
Kocher, J. Rural development and fertility change in tropical Africa: Evidence from Tanzania. African Rural Economy Paper No. 18. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University, forthcoming.
Kuznets, S. Rural-urban differences in fertility: An international comparison.Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 1974,118 1–29.
LeVine, R.A., Dixon, S. & LeVine, S. High fertility in Africa: A consideration of causes and consequences. Paper presented at the African Studies Association, 1976.
Li, W.L. Temporal and spatial analysis of fertility decline in Taiwan.Population Studies 1973,27 97–104.
Michaelson, E.J. & Goldschmidt, W. Female roles and male dominance among peasants.Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 1971,27 330–352.
Miller, K.A. & Inkeles, A. Modernity and acceptance of family limitation in four developing countries.Journal of Social Issues 1974,30 167–188.
Moock, J.L. Pragmatism and the primary school: The case of a non-rural village.Africa 1973,43 302–316.
Nag, M., White, B.N.F., & Peet, R.C. An anthropolgical approach to the study of the economic value of children in Java and Nepal.Current Anthropology 1978,19 293–307.
Nagata, J. A tale of two cities: The role of non-urban factors in community life in two Malaysia towns.Urban Anthropology 1974,3 1–26.
Polgar, S. Population history and population policies from an anthropological perspective.Current Anthropology 1972,13 203–211.
Reining, P. and others.Village Women: Their Changing Lives and Fertility: Studies in Kenya, Mexico and the Philippines. Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1977.
Schnaiberg, A. The concept and measurement of child dependency: An approach to family formation analysis.Population Studies 1973,27 69–84.
Schnaiberg, A. & Armer, M. Urbanism, modernism and fertility: A comparative evaluation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, 1974.
Schnaiberg, A. & Goldenberg, S. Closing the circle: The impact of children on parental status.Journal of Marriage and the Family 1975,37 937–953.
Schnaiberg, A. & Reed, D. Risk, uncertainty and family formation: The social context of poverty groups.Population Studies 1974,28 518–533.
Schultz, T.P. Interrelationships between morality and fertility. In R.G. Ridker (ed.),Population and Development: The Search for Selective Interventions. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.
Shedlin, M.G. & Hollerbach, P.E. Modern and traditional fertility regulation in a Mexican community: Factors in the process of decision-making. Working Paper of the Center for Policy Studies. New York: The Population Council, 1978.
Simmons, A.B. & Noordham, J. Education and contraceptive knowledge in rural areas of four Latin American nations. Mimeo. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre, November 1977. (Forthcoming inCanadian Studies in Population.)
Stahl, K.M. The Chagga. InP.H. Gulliver (ed.),Tradition and Transition in East Africa: Studies of the Tribal Element in the Modern Era London: Routledge and Kega Paul, 1969, 209–222.
Swantz, M.L.Ritual and Symbol in Transitional Zaramo Society. Uppsala, Sweden: Almquist and Wiksells Boktryckeri AB, 1970.
Swartz, M.J. Some cultural influences on family size in three East African societies,Anthropological Quarterly 1969,42 73–88.
Tanzania, Government of.National Demographic Survey, 1973, Vol. 1. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Bureau of Statistics, 1976.
Tienda, M. The economic activity of children in rural and urban Peru: Labor force behavior in a familial context. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, 1977.
Thompson, R.W. Fertility aspirations and modernization in urban Uganda: A case of resilient cultural values.Urban Anthropology 1978,7 155–168.
Zalla, M.T. Kwashiorkor in Kilimanjaro: A study of the etiology, epidemiology, care, and prevention of malnutrition in an East African people. Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, in progress.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Research for this project was completed while the author was affiliated with GETEMPO, Washington, D.C., under contract to the Office of Urban Development, U.S. Agency for International Development. The author gratefully acknowledges the comments and assistance of Ann C. Orr, James E. Kocher, Paula E. Hollerbach, and two anonymous referees. Requests for reprints should be directed to Sally Evans Findley, Minnesota State Planning Agency, Room 101 Capitol Square Building, 550 Cedar Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Findley, S.E. A suggested framework for analysis of urban-rural fertility differentials with an illustration of the Tanzanian case. Popul Environ 3, 237–261 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01255341
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01255341