Final Report (PDF, 2132K) - Measure DHS

The fact. that 65 percent of women want another child reflects the high value placed on children inOndo State; however, the fact that 61 percent of women either want no more children or want to wait atleast two years before having another child, suggests a need for family planning services. If those whoare undecided about either whether or when to have another child are included, the proportion of marriedwomen who are potential candidates for family planning services rises to 80 percent.Since future fertility preferences are significantly influenced by the number of children a womanalready has, Table 5.1 and Figure 5.2 show the data on fertility preferences by the number of livingchildren women have, including the current pregnancy for all pregnant women. The proportion ofwomen wanting no more children is only 5 percent or less for women with less than three children, but itincreases steeply to almost 50 percent of women with six or more children. The proportion of womenwho are undecided about having another child is also quite high for women with five or more children(about 20 percent). Equally revealing is the high proportion of women who want to space their nextchild. Over half of women with 1-3 children want to wait at least two years before having their nextchild. These women constitute a sizable group who are potentially in need of family planning services forspacing purposes.Fertility preferences are shown by age group of women in Table 5.2. Since age and number ofchildren are positively correlated, it is not surprising that similar trends are evident in Tables 5.2 and 5.3.As is true of women with 1-3 children, the proportion of women aged 15-19, 20-24, and 25-29 who wantto wait two or more years before having their next child is high (60 percent), again suggesting a need forfamily planning services for spacing purposes among younger married women. The desire to stopchildbearing rises with age, from less than one percent of women under age 25 to 72 percent of womenaged 45-49.Table 5.2Percent Distribution of Currently Married Women by Desire forMore Children, According to Age, ODHS, 1986Current AgeDesireFor MoreChildren 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 TotalWant No More 0.0 0.9 2.4 9.1 19.8 44.1 71.5 23.3Want AnotherWithin 2 Yrs. 21.7 24.2 23.2 23.2 20.9 17.1 9.4 19.BWant AnotherAfter 2+ Yrs. 61.7 59.2 59.3 47.0 34.7 14.7 7.3 38.0Want Another,Don't Know When 13.9 15.3 9.6 8.0 5.2 4.4 1.6 7.4Undecided ifWant Another 2.6 0.3 5.5 12.6 19.4 19.7 10.1 11.4Total I00.0 i00.0 I00.0 I00.0 I00.0 100.0 I00.0 I00.0No. of Women 115 326 508 538 464 456 425 283247