Factors associated with desire for additional children among women in urban Uganda: a case study of Greater Kampala
Abstract
The study intended to assess the factors associated with desire for additional children among women in Kampala Uganda as the fertility levels in the country are still alarming. In order to achieve the general objective, the researcher examined three specific objectives which included; determining the effect of demographic factors on desires for additional children, analyzing the influence of behavioural factors on desire for additional children and measuring the level of association of fertility related characteristics of women in greater Kampala with desire for additional children. The study used secondary data which was collected by UBOS in 2016 concerning about the Uganda`s demographic events. After data management, it was analyzed at two levels that is to say univariate analysis with frequency tables describing the percentage distribution of the study variables, and unvariate analysis with a measure of association. The study finding indicated that age of the respondent, husband's/partner's occupation, education attainment level, marital status, number of living children, domestic violence, partner desire for children and wealth were statistically significant factors associated with the desire for additional children hence making the stated null hypotheses for these study variables false but true for the alternative hypotheses for these study variables. It was also revealed from the study findings that; the desire for additional children was highest among poor respondents, uneducated women, unemployed and among married women. The fertility rate was also high among violated women as compared to unviolated women. This calls for intervention programmes in order to curb the fertility levels in the country. The researcher then recommended; girl child education in order to reduce on early marriages, emphasis on contraceptive awareness and accessibility to all forms of should be done in order to reduce on desire for additional children. Besides that, the researcher still recommends campaigns against high fertility levels in the country through male involvement programmes in the country, capacity development through women empowerment projects should be emphasized by the government and non-government institutions in order to improve on wealth status of sexually active women in the country. By doing so, the researcher anticipates that the act of desire for additional children will be mitigated or reduced within Kampala and other parts or regions of the country.