Alignment of Fertility Preferences between Spouses: Patterns and Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa

Pearl Kyei, Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), University of Ghana
Ayaga A. Bawah, University of Ghana
Fred Dzanku

Substantial literature on sub-Saharan Africa has documented the importance of male involvement in family planning given the influence of male preferences on contraceptive behaviour and fertility in the context where male fertility preferences have traditionally been higher than that of their wives. This paper uses pooled data from 113 Demographic and Health Surveys from 35 sub-Saharan African countries conducted between 1994 and 2020 to study trends and patterns in the likelihood of husbands desiring the same or fewer children as their wives. The analysis employs a multilevel logistic regression. The findings indicate that the percentage of women who report that their husbands want the same or fewer children has increased over time. Using husband’s occupation as a proxy for opportunity costs of men’s time in the absence of earnings data, we find evidence of differences by occupation in the likelihood of desiring dame or fewer children than their wives and in the rate of change over time.

Keywords: Fertility, Family Planning and Contraception

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