Fertility and reproduction in Dominica

ABSTRACT

Fertility has decreased gradually on the island of Dominica since 1978. In 1986 the government initiated a policy to decrease fertility and population growth. Factors controlling fertility on Dominica are the focus of this dissertation. The introduction of Western methods of birth control explains declining fertility in other parts of the world. Analysis of data collected on Dominica, however, indicates that there is no significant difference between women who use and others who do not use Western forms of birth control. Birth control appears to space births rather than to limit completed family size. Analysis is based on standard demographic methods performed on a sample of 10,929 women aged 15-44, including interviews with 243 of these women. Family size is the same for those who do and those who do not use birth control (approx.4.2). A modification of Bongaart's (1983) and Wood's (1990) fertility models is utilized to determine which factors affect fertility on Dominica. Data indicate other factors affecting fertility include sexual activity, age at menarche and menopause, pregnancy rate, lactational amenorrhea, location of villages relative to health centers and urban areas, type of subsistence, economic status, religion and education. The importance of these factors for explaining Dominican fertility trends is addressed. (AU)