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OTHER PROXIMATE DETERMINANTS
OF FERTILITY
6
This chapter examines the principal factors, other than contraception, that affect a woman’s
chances of becoming pregnant. These factors include marriage (including consensual unions),
postpartum amenorrhea, abstinence from sexual relations, and termination of exposure to pregnancy.
Marriage and sexual relations relate to childbearing, postpartum amenorrhea and abstinence affect the
intervals between births, and menopause marks the end of childbearing. More specifically, in this
chapter, an in-depth look will be taken at more-direct measures of the timing and level of exposure to
the risk of pregnancy, that is, the age at first sexual intercourse and the frequency of intercourse.
Marriage is a primary indicator and in most societies, marks the beginning of regular exposure of women
to the risk of pregnancy. Populations in which the age at first marriage is low also tend to experience
early childbearing and high fertility. Furthermore, measures of the onset of menopause are important
since the probability of becoming pregnant decreases as women approach the end of their reproductive
years and increasing proportions become infecund. Collectively, the above-mentioned factors determine
the duration and pace of reproductive activity and hence are important in understanding fertility.
6.1 MARITAL STATUS
Table 6.1 shows the distribution of all women age 15-49 and all men age 15-59 by current
marital status. The data indicate that 24 percent of Ethiopian women in the reproductive ages have
never been married; about two-thirds (63 percent) are currently married, that is, in a legal (formal)
union; and a very small proportion (1 percent) are living together in an informal union. The term
“currently married” or “currently in union” used throughout this report includes both women who are
in a formal as well as in an informal union. The divorced, separated, and widowed, constitute 3 percent,
6 percent, and 4 percent, respectively.
There has been an increase in the percentage of women never married over the last ten years,
from 18 percent in the 1990 National Family and Fertility Survey (CSA, 1993) to 24 percent in the 2000
Ethiopia DHS, an increase of 6 percentage points. On the other hand, there has been a marked decline
in the percentage of women currently married over the last ten years, from 72 percent in the 1990 NFFS
(CSA, 1993) to 64 percent in the 2000 Ethiopia DHS, a decline of 8 percentage points. This decline in
nuptiality is observed for all age groups of women.
Table 6.1 also shows that the proportion of women who have never married decreases
substantially with increasing age, from 70 percent in the age group 15-19 to 27 percent in the age group
20-24 and then to less than 1 percent for those age 40 and over. The proportion of currently married
women (including women living together) increases with age up to age 30-34 (85 percent) and declines
thereafter due to increasing levels of widowhood with age (Figure 6.1). The proportion widowed
increases from less than 1 percent among women under age 25 to 14 percent among women age 45-49.
A higher proportion of men (40 percent) than women (24 percent) have never been married. On the
other hand, a relatively higher proportion of women than men are currently married (a difference of
about 7 percentage points).
Other Proximate Determinants of Fertility* 73