Fertility Behavior Among Thami Community of Dolakha District

Abstract

The study on "Fertility Behaviour amongthe Thami Community in Sundrawoti VDC, of Dolakha District" had been carried out usingprimary data obtained form 120 respondents from 120 households forcurrently married women aged 15-49 years in the study area. In thisstudy, the relation between fertility and demographic variables (age atmarriage of women's education level of women, contraceptive used, sex,preference, breast feeding, child loss experiences and occupation) amongcurrently married women aged 15-49 years were examined. The total samplepopulation in 952 in the study area, among them482 were male and 470 were female. The sex ratio was 102.5 anddependency ratio was 31.5. In the study area 70.99% people were literateand major occupation is agriculture 27.1% people were engaged in thissector. In the study area 67.5% currently married women were literate,2.5% illiterate. About 47.5% people engaged in households work, 39.2%engaged in agriculture, 8.3% engaged in services and only 5% engaged inwage labour. Socio-economic, demographic and cultural variables increasingfertility were observed as 56.7% currently married women were not usingany contraceptive methods. Their socio-economic status was also verylow and child loss experience was high in the study area. So the childever born was observed 2.74 which was higher than national fertility level (2.24). This study indicated the main cause of higher CEB are low levelof education, not using contraceptives, low level of socio-economicstatus, not availability of FP, depending upon agriculture, more womendepended on household work, early marriage, son preference and highlevel of child loss experience