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ABSTRACT
This study examines patterns of homogamy and heterogamy and their implications for couple’s fertility behaviour. Data were obtained from demographic and health surveys conducted in Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia between 2001 and 2014. The study population were couples in a monogamous union where wives were aged 35 years and over: 1785 in Ghana, 3185 in Nigeria and 3175 in Zambia. Results of the descriptive analysis show that educational, religious and ethnic homogamy and occupational heterogamy were predominant among the couples and mean children ever born varied according to couples’ characteristics. The significant predictors of fertility as revealed in the multivariate analysis included educational homogamy and heterogamy, occupational homogamy, age difference and religious and ethnic homogamy. To expedite fertility transition in the three countries and other sub-Saharan African countries, programmes and policies aimed at reducing fertility in the region should incorporate strategies that focus on the characteristics of couples in union.
Acknowledgement
The authors acknowledge the support of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre of Excellence in Human Development, South Africa. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the authors and not to be attributed to the Centre of Excellence in Human Development.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.