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Biomedical subjects

Z A Sathar

Publications and source records attributed to Z A Sathar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Obstacles to contraceptive use in Pakistan: a study in Punjab.

The principal aim of this study is to assess the strength in Pakistan of a set of hypothesized obstacles to practicing contraception. Survey data are analyzed that were collected in Punjab province in 1996 and that contain unusually detailed measurement of various perceived costs of practicing contraception, as well as focused measurement of fertility motivation. The framework guiding the research specifies six major obstacles to contraceptive use: the strength of motivation to avoid pregnancy, awareness and knowledge of contraception, the social and cultural acceptability of contraception, perceptions of the husband's preferences and attitudes, health concerns, and perceived access to services. Net effects of each obstacle are estimated through structural equation modeling of the intention to practice contraception in the near future, in which the six obstacles are treated as latent variables. The estimates indicate that the two principal obstacles to using a contraceptive are the woman's perception that such behavior would conflict with her husband's fertility preferences and his attitudes toward family planning and her perception of the social or cultural unacceptability of contraception. The results confirm the value of taking contraceptive costs seriously, and, in particular, of attempting to measure these costs in empirical research on family planning.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Female employment and fertility: further investigation of an ambivalent association.

"This study of the relationship between female employment and fertility is based on a survey of 1,000 ever-married women in Karachi, [Pakistan]. A distinct pattern of differentials in actual performance and in desired fertility is observed across working and non-working women.... Women in higher status occupations marry much later than and have half the completed family size of those women working in lower status occupations. The fertility of non-working women lies somewhere in between these two groups. Some reasons for the fertility differentials found are identified in variations in point of entry into the labour force relative to the stage in child-bearing, in expectations from sons in old age support, and in relative facility in seeking means of fertility control. Working women in higher status occupations also have better chances of their children surviving, whereas women in lower status occupations suffer a greater toll of child deaths."

Asia↗
PubMed1987

Variations in demographic behaviour by levels of living in Pakistan.

This paper utilizes data from the Population, Labour Force, and Migration Survey of 1979 which collected information from about 10,000 households in Pakistan. Poverty was directly related to household size and also to the average number of children under 15, which meant higher dependency ratios for the poor. Poorer ever-married women had higher fertility rates than richer women. However, the association between fertility and levels of living was not monotonically inverse. Schooling rates of 5-9 year olds varied positively with levels of living and, conversely, labor force participation rates for boys aged 10-14 were generally higher in the poorer deciles. The value of children and their utility varies across the deciles. Data from Pakistan show only broad negative associations between infant mortality and standard of living. It could be argued that relatively higher mortality is experienced by those at lower standards of living, which leads at 1st to diminished household size, but eventually to higher fertility and larger household size. Out-migration, particularly to the Middle East, seems to have occurred in reasonably well-off households, or at least has not affected the poorest strata of society. Remittances have further enhanced the standard of living of out-migrants' households. The fertility of migrant households may also be lower than that of nonmigrants and may explain smaller household size. However, internal migration to urban areas tends to increased size as rural migrants live jointly in households away from their families.

Asia↗
PubMed1984

Does female education affect fertility behaviour in Pakistan?

The study explores the relationship between female education and fertility in Pakistan and is based on data from the Pakistan Fertility Survey 1975. Only slight differentials were identified between women with no education and those who had primary or less schooling. However, women with more than primary education had notably lower fertility. Also the role of the intermediate variables such as proportions married, length of breastfeeding, and contraceptive use had significant associations with female education.

Age Factors↗