Trinidad and Tobago fertility survey 1977; a summary of findings

So concludes this summary report on the 1977 Trinidad and Tobago Fertility Survey (TTFS). Under the TTFS, 3,482 out-of-school women aged 15-49 who had been in one or more unions (i.e., marriages, common law unions, or sexual partnerships) were interviewed. About 50% of these women had entered their first union before age 20 and only 10% had never been in a union by age 25-29. The average age at first union has risen, however, from 17.7 years among women aged 45-49 to 18.6 years among those aged 25-29. Women are having fewer children during the first 5 years of a union. Those who first entered a union 5-9 years ago had 1.2 children compared to 1.8 for those who first entered unions at least 20 years ago. The proportion of women with six or more children is declining, indicating that the future average size of a completed family will also decline. For the period 1966-76, fertility declined from 4.38 to 2.7 children per woman; during the previous decade it declined by about 1.1 children per woman. Age-specific fertility rates also declined. Subgroup differences in fertility suggest that urban residence, labor force participation, and especially higher education tend to reduce fertility. Only 54% of all fecund women wanted another child. Older women and those with large families were least likely to want more children. The average number of additional children desired by women of all ages was one. Mean ideal family size was 3.8 children; younger and more educated women preferred smaller families. Nearly 95% of ever-mated women knew of at least one efficient method of contraception and 78% had used contraception at some time. About 60% of fecund women currently in a union were using contraceptives; 95% of these women were using efficient methods. Current use was highest among the 25-34 age group, women with two to four children, and among more educated women. More importantly, 34% of women who said they wanted no more children were not using contraception. Finally, an increasing number of women were not breastfeeding at all or were doing so for shorter periods.