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Differential Fertility by Religious Group in Rural Sierra Leone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Mohamed Bailey
Mohamed Bailey
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Population, Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA
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Summary

This study examines the influence of Islam and Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism) on fertility in rural Sierra Leone. Analyses using number of children ever born and number of living children for currently married women of childbearing ages 15–49 as measures of fertility show that Muslim fertility is lower than either Catholic or Protestant fertility net of relevant demographic and socioeconomic variables.

The interaction between wife's educational level and her religious affiliation was statistically significant for number of children ever born but not for number of living children. Religion is shown to be an important factor in differentiating fertility behaviour at different educational levels. Among wives with no schooling, differences in religion lead to small fertility differentials; among those with primary or higher education, the fertility differentials are substantial.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , January 1986 , pp. 75 - 86
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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