World Development Report 1984

tion into and out of the country and from rural to These changes were accompanied by legal and
urban areas, as well as by the social unrest con- social measures affecting women: polygamy and
nected with World War II, liberation, the partition- repudiation of wives were outlawed, family planing
of Korea, and the Korean War. Increasing edu- ning services were gradually provided, and educacational
opportunities for both men and women tional opportunities for women were expanded, so
and compulsory military conscription also played a that the proportion of girls enrolled in primary and
part. Manufacturing has provided more and more secondary schools rose from 27 to 47 percent durjobs
for women, in a society where factory work ing the 1960s. The president was a strong suphas
been considered incompatible with marriage porter of these reforms and a stern critic of keeping
but quite compatible with continuing to live at women in seclusion. These and other factors, such
home to contribute to the support of parents. as heavy emigration of male workers, contributed
Development itself serves to raise the age of mar- to a decline from 42 percent in 1956 to 6 percent in
riage, as does improvement in the status of 1975 in the proportion of women married in the
women. Those governments which have tried to age group fifteen to nineteen.
raise the legal minimum age for marriage have China legislated minimum ages for marriage of
usually done so in conjunction with other meas- eighteen for women and twenty for men in 1950 as
ures that would work in that direction anyway. part of an overhaul of marriage laws and an
Tunisia introduced legal minimums of fifteen for attempt to provide equal rights for men and
women and twenty-one for men in 1956 and raised women. The Chinese considered raising the minithe
minimum age for women to seventeen in 1964. mums again in 1957 but, recognizing the limited
FIGURE 6.5
Accounting for fertility decline
Composite of 31 countries
Total
fertility
rate
7,_
Reduction in
fertility rate i`,r.exntL,oe .ai r,duocnon b%. .:,)rIntnbutng tactor
6
5
4
Initial Final
fertility fertility
t-thi ,~ R-cIu.:d h
1
1
.fs'tu we -I kl'rE in.lu,ed 'dl-t. I..
at as pra5 .e tre ~.It,_drng .sntT--_Ph1.-n t.'n .. I,. t
t.
Selected countries and years Percentage of reduction by contributing factor
Initial Final Higher Reduced More use More All
Country fertility fertility age at breast- of contra- induced other
and period rate rate marriage feeding ception abortion factors
India (1972-78) 5.6 5.2 41 -58 114 . . 3
Indonesia (1970-80) 5.5 4.6 41 -77 134 . . 2
Korea (1960-70) 6.1 4.0 50 -38 53 30 4
Thailand (1968-78) 6.1 3.4 11 -17 86 16 4
not available
Source: Bulatao, 1984 b.
115