Factors determining men’s fertility preferences in Botswana

Moses Keetile, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Botswana has been experiencing declining fertility rates with Total Fertility Rate declining from 6.6 in 1981 to 2.7 in 2011. Factors contributing to fertility decline are under scrutiny. This paper attempts to examine the various demographic and socio-economic factors determining the desired fertility of men and how this correlates with fertility levels and trends. Data used in this study is obtained from the 2007 Botswana Family Health Survey IV where a total of 1531 eligible male respondents aged 15-49 years completed a questionnaire. The binary regression analyses used for analysis reveals that men in urban areas (City/Town, OR=1.4), younger (15-24 years, OR=4.2), educated (Higher, OR=1.8) and wealthier (wealthiest quantile, OR=4.4) were more likely to prefer smaller families than their counterparts respectively. The study suggests that there are eminent institutional and programmatic changes required to address men’s fertility preferences in order to maintain a desired level of fertility in the country.