Mohanto, G.C. (author), Satapathy, C. (author), and Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, India; Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, India
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1975-03
Published:
India
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 43 Document Number: B05044
James F. Evans Collection, Participation in rural development programs that organize members into local cooperative groups can alter the decision-making environment facing couples to reflect some of the negative consequences of childbearing. This study uses data from Nepal, collected through a combination of ethnographic and survey methods, to test the effects of participation in such a development program on fertility behavior. Results demonstrate that program participants are much more likely to use contraceptives to limit their fertility than are non-participants. The study provides empirical support for theories linking this type of institutional change to fertility and indicates a policy option that can allow some negative consequences of childbearing to affect couples' fertility decisions. (author)