Women’s Empowerment And Fertility In Rural Tanzania: A Case Of Igunga District

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between women’s empowerment

and fertility in rural Tanzania. Data were collected from randomly selected 120 women in

four randomly selected villages from two wards in Igunga District using a structured and

non structured questionnaire. Descriptive and regression analyses using Statistical Package

for Social Sciences were employed to determine the factors for fertility. Women’s

empowerment was measured by five proxies: economic decision making, mobility,

coercive control, family planning and contraceptive use, and family size decision making.

Fertility status was measured by age specific fertility rates and total fertility rates. Results

of descriptive analysis suggest that fertility of women was influenced by age of woman,

age at first birth, household size, marital status, education, occupation, economic decision

making, family size decision making, coercive control, and contraceptive use. Although

income did not show influence on fertility, employment status of woman indicated high

influence. The multiple regressions revealed that fertility level was attributed to factors of

age, household size, education, family size decision making, age at first birth, and marital

status which were statistically significant at p < 0.05 regression coefficients, implying that

the number of children born increases with age of woman and household size and it

decreases with increase in her education level, age at first birth, ability on family size

decision making, and age at first marriage. It was observed that women’s empowerment is

multidimensional, that is, different aspects do not necessarily co-vary together. A woman

may be decisive in one or several aspects like in mobility and coercive control but not in

other aspects like family size decision making. Thus, it has to be taken holistically. It is

recommended that women’s empowerment and sexual and reproductive health should be

institutionalised. Education system, beginning at lower levels syllabi, should emphasise

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women’s empowerment and sexual and reproductive health to men and women to make the

youth especially in rural areas avoid higher fertility for the national development.