| dc.description.abstract | Background: Over the years, Uganda has experienced high levels of fertility which has hampered economic and social development. Among many reasons attributed to the high levels of fertility was the digression from tradition of bearing children under wedlock to non-marital childbearing. It is based on this foregoing that the study sought to establish the effects of intermediate, socio-demographic and intermediate factors that influence nonmarital childbearing among unmarried women.
Methods: The study used data from the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys. Out of the 8674 women who responded to the questionnaire, only 4889 women aged 15 to 49 years were eligible for this study. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Excel spread sheet, Bongaarts model, bivariate tables with chi-square and binary logistic regression
Results: Results from Bongaarts model show that indeed non-marital childbearing do contribute to overall level of fertility among women in Uganda. It further shows that 18 percent of never married women aged 15-49 years reported to have given birth. The chi-square tests for association show that intermediate variables (proportion single or cohabiting and breastfeeding), socio-demographic variables (Age at interview, level of education, place of residence, occupation, wealth index and ethnicity) were associated with non-marital childbearing.
The odds of having non-marital birth were higher for women aged below 20 years (Odd Ratio (OR), 2.1) and lower among single women (0.5). The odds of non-marital birth were also higher among Bantu ethnic group (OR, 1.4). The odds of having non-marital birth are higher among women who did not use modern contraceptive (OR, 1.8). Also the odds of having non-marital birth among women who had aborted was (OR, 1.4) and odds of not breastfeeding among women who had birth in the past 12 months reduced by (OR, 0.02). Non-marital childbearing is assumed to be influenced by socio-demographic and intermediate variables.
Conclusion: The study concludes that changes in intermediate, socio-demographic factors appear to affect non-marital childbearing. This can only point to the changing values and deviation from family formation norms. Therefore, it is recommended that the government of Uganda should target to improve educational level of women beyond secondary school. There is also need for dialogue with different ethnic groups so as to reach consensus of discouraging bad traditional practices of premarital sex and childbearing among women in Uganda. Besides, much effort is required in provision of information, education, and communication among women so as to encourage contraceptive use and reduce abortion. Finally, there is need for the government to reconsider the revision of Domestic Relation Bill (DRB) of 2003 so as to formalize the cohabiting women unions | en_US |
