DESIRED FERTILITY AND FERTILITY BEHAVIOR AMONG THE YORUBA OF NIGERIA - A STUDY OF COUPLE PREFERENCES AND SUBSEQUENT FERTILITY

This paper examines the effects of the fertility desires of marital pa rtners on subsequent fertility. In particular, we attempt to identify the role played by disagreement between the spouses in predicting the couple's fertility outcome. The results indicate that when husband and wife disagree about whether or not they want another child, the ferti lity desires of both partners are equally important in determining whe ther the couple actually have an additional birth. The dominance of me n in sub-Saharan African societies tends to operate in the present stu dy only in the initial stages of a couple's reproductive lives (associ ated with four or fewer children). This tendency is offset by the stro nger influence of the wife's desire in the later stages. Thus, we conc lude that fertility research in sub-Saharan Africa should solicit info rmation from men and women, and any programme or policy that aims to p romote fertility decline in the region must involve both sexes.