EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, AND FERTILITY IN KINSHASA AND PROSPECTS FOR CHANGES IN REPRODUCTIVE-BEHAVIOR

This paper examines fertility behavior of women in Kinshasa, Zaire's c apital city with a population of roughly four million. We look at rela tionships linking women's education, employment, and fertility behavio r (children ever born, age at first marriage, contraception, abortion, breastfeeding, and postpartum abstinence), using data from a 1990 sur vey of reproductive-age women. Other things equal, there are significa nt differences by educational attainment and by modem sector employmen t in lifetime fertility and in most of the proximate determinants as w ell. The results suggest that modern contraception and abortion are al ternative fertility control strategies in Kinshasa, with abortion appe aring to play an important role in contributing to the observed fertil ity differentials by education and employment. The dramatic increases that have taken place in women's access to secondary and higher educat ion are likely to reduce fertility in the future, while the effects of Zaire's current economic and political crisis are uncertain. Our find ings are consistent with some of the arguments of Caldwell et al. (199 2) on a new type of fertility transition in sub-saharan Africa. If Zai re seeks to lower fertility, policy efforts should be made to soften t he impact of economic crisis on school enrollments and enhance opportu nities for young women to remain in school, at least well into the sec ondary level. Policy should also seek to promote more effective 'marke ting' and delivery of modern family planning services, so as to induce women to substitute modem contraception for abortion as a means of co ntrolling their fertility.