CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE PROXIMATE DETERMINANTS TO FERTILITY CHANGE IN BOTSWANA

This study uses Bongaarts' model to examine the relative contributions of three proximate determinants (non-marriage, contraceptive use and postpartum infecundability) to fertility change using data from the 19 84 and 1988 Botswana Family and Health Surveys. Breast-feeding is show n to be the most important proximate determinant of fertility, followe d by contraceptive use, and finally non-marriage, both in 1984 and 198 8. However, contraceptive use increased between 1984 and 1988, leading to fertility decline over this period. Marriage is the least importan t proximate determinant of fertility, probably due to the high prevale nce of premarital childbearing. Other factors such as induced abortion could have played a major role in the fertility decline but their eff ect could not be estimated due to lack of accurate data.