Is fertility declining in Benin?

This study analyzes reproductive changes in Benin, a West African country w ith high fertility and low prevalence of use of modern contraceptive method s, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Findings indicate that an irreversible fertility transition has started as the resu lt of an emerging pattern of birth limitation and continued desire for the traditional long birth intervals. The data suggest that changes in childhoo d mortality in combination with an increase in women's education, although modest, have created a demand for fertility control among women; that induc ed abortion may be one of the means through which such demand is being met, particularly in urban areas; and that the economic crisis of the 1980s was main catalyst that precipitated the onset of transition. Changes in reprod uctive preferences and practice suggest a diffusion process, from urban and more educated women to rural and less-educated ones.