title: The World Fertility Survey: charting global childbearing.
abstract: Interviewing some 350,000 women in 42 developing countries and 20 developed countries representing nearly 40% of the world's population, the World Fertility Survey (WFS) is in a unique position to document the historic 1970s slowdown in global population growth.  This Bulletin describes efforts begun in 1972 to ensure high quality, internationally comparable, accessible data, the data's importance for policymakers, planners and researchers, and major findings available by early 1982 from directly assisted WFS surveys in 29 developing countries and contraceptive use data from WFS-type surveys in 16 developed countries.  Marital fertility has declined in all developing regions except Africa but still averages from 4.6 children/woman in Latin America to 6.7 in Africa, while preferred family size ranges from 3.0 children in Turkey to 8.9 in Senegal--far above the average 2.2-2.5 children/woman needed to end developing countries' population growth in the long run.  However, women ages 15-19 prefer nearly 2 children fewer than the oldest women ages 45-49; 3.8 vs. 5.7 on the average.  Nearly 1/2 (48%) of married women surveyed in 27 countreis said they wanted no more children.  Preventing all unwanted births would reduce birth rates up to 15 births/1000 population in these countries.  Overall, 32% of married, fecund women in developing countries are using contraception compared to an average 72% in 16 developed countries.  Education, literacy, and more available family planning services increase contraceptive use.  Age at marriage is rising in Asia, but this factor alone has little effect on fertility.  Infant mortality is higher in many developing countries than previously thought.  Breastfeeding is an important restraint on fertility in most developing countries but is declining among more educated, employed, and urban women which could raise fertility if not compensated for by gains in contraceptive use.
authors.lastname: Lightbourne R
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001208:Asia; D001721:Birth Intervals; D001723:Birth Rate; D001942:Breast Feeding; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003076:Coitus Interruptus; D003150:Community Health Workers; D017280:Condoms; D003267:Contraception; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003274:Contraceptive Devices, Female; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D003625:Data Collection; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003710:Demography; D004467:Economics; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005060:Europe; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005298:Fertility; D005367:Fiji; D005843:Geography; D006262:Health; D006282:Health Personnel; D006285:Health Planning; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007267:Injections; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007434:Intrauterine Devices; D007843:Latin America; D008393:Marriage; D008423:Maternal Age; D009026:Mortality; D012252:Natural Family Planning Methods; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009934:Organization and Administration; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011640:Public Policy; D012106:Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012424:Rural Population; D012746:Sexual Abstinence; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013245:Sterilization, Reproductive; D014505:Urban Population; D014507:Urbanization; D014622:Vaginal Creams, Foams, and Jellies
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D014622:Vaginal Creams, Foams, and Jellies
keywords: Africa; Age Specific Fertility Rate; Asia; Birth Intervals; Birth Rate; Breast Feeding; Caribbean; Coitus Interruptus; Condom; Contraception; Contraception Continuation; Contraceptive Usage; Data Collection; Delivery Of Health Care; Demographic Factors; Development Policy; Differential Fertility; Economic Factors; Educational Status--women; Employment Status--women; Europe; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Family Planning; Family Planning Personnel; Family Planning Programs; Family Size; Female Sterilization; Fertility; Fertility Measurements; Fertility Rate--changes; Fertility Surveys; Field Workers; Fiji; Geographic Factors; Health; Health Personnel; Infant Mortality; Infant Nutrition; Injectables; Interviewers; Iud; Latin America; Male Sterilization; Marriage; Marriage Age; Marriage Duration; Marriage Patterns; Mortality; Nuptiality; Nutrition; Oral Contraceptives; Organization And Administration; Policy; Population; Population Dynamics; Research Methodology; Residence Characteristics; Rhythm Method, Calendar; Rural Population; Sexual Abstinence; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic Status; Spatial Distribution; Urban Population; Urbanization; Vaginal Diaphragm; Vaginal Foam; World Fertility Surveys