1. Children … are they not assets? An-Magritt Jensen, NTNU
Project: Fertility and Poverty: The Role of Gender en Reproductive Health.
The Norglobal-dissemination seminar,
Oct

2. Background Global fertility decline Exceptions: Kenya among them
Two areas
Western: fertility fall and stall
Coast: stable fertility
What happened?
Picture: Woman with 7 daughters, Western 1988.

3. Two studies – twenty years A follow-up from studies 1988 in Western and 1991 Coast Provinces.
Team Coast 1991 – coresearcher A.A. Khasakhala taking picture
Team Coast 2011 – coresearcher A.A. Khasakhala no 2 from right, back

4. Why and how Background: New study:
20 years ago - highest fertility in Western, lowest in Coast (apart from Nairobi).
Now:
Fertility in Western has declined, but remain highest.
Little change in Coast.
Result: both provices among highest in the country
New study:
Same villages
More men
Individual and Focus Groups interviews
Generations - efforts to re- interview people from the first study
Western, highest 1989 and now. Coast lowest 1989 (apart from Nairobi) is now 3rd. highest. (Nyanca second)

5. Two generations – example (Pictures: mother and daughter, Western 2011)
Mary, 40 years in 1988, married at age 14, 2 wives, knew about family planning but husband objected, born 10 children. One of them is Alice, born on the road. In addition we have interviewed Mary’s co-wife, two(?) of her sons and a daughter-in-law.

6. First impressions Poverty remains widespread Education has increased
Fewer have child losses
More use Family Planning
Fewer have STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)
Picture: village Coast, 2011

7. What happened? Western: educated and jobless men Coast: educated women
Example: electric wirer, mother of one, the only in the village with this competence. Unable to complete education due to lack of money. An exception?
Three hypotheses:
Western: decline in desired number of children, but children remain an important ”asset”
Coast: STD-down, FP-up, stable fertility: more control.
Higher correspondence between actual and desired number of children.

8. Thank you picture: announcement for family planning centre western village