Fertility behaviour of dalit community (A case study of Thuladihi, Bahakot and Pawaigaunde VDC, Syngja, district)

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine the fertility behaviour of Kami,Damai, Sarki and Sunar community. A case study of Thuladihi, Bahakot andPawaigaunde VDC, Syngja regarding selected some demographic and socio-economic variables. The study presents the findings from the primary sources of data,survey conducted during B.S. 2065. The study sample included 101 ever marriedwomen of reproductive age group form 165 households. Data were obtained onhousehold and individual information related to explain fertility performance form thesurvey. Using cross table, table, mean table and correlation analysis with selecteddependent and independent variables carried out analyses of fertility behaviour.Children ever Born (CEB) were used as un inditor of fertility behaviour. Fertility of women is determined by the socio-economic condition of thewomen. In Nepal, caste system determines various demographic and socio-economicvariables. This is because the Dalit women were selected as study population for thisstudy. It is inferable in Nepal that the womenwith so called lower caste have highfertility and low socio-economic condition. This is same for this study also in thestudy the fertility of women is found higher which is indicated by CEB= 3.15 childrenper woman. This may be because they have more child loss experience other reasonscan be drawn as lower educational status in which about half of them (49.5%) arefound literate among them 28.7 percent have attended primary level and only 7.9percent have secondary education it is observed that there isno significant differencebetween illiterate and women with lower than lower secondary education. Talking about their occupation over 90 percent of the women are engaged inagriculture and labour which are supposed as blue-collar occupation of loweroccupation. Similarly knowledge and use of family planning methods are also foundvery low. Slightly less than 80 percent of women gave heard about family planningmethods whereas national data indicates over 99 percent. The contraceptiveprevalence rate is also very low among the study women which was accounted for27.7 percent. Among the current contraceptive users, male or female sterilization wasdominant to other. Every use of contraceptive is also low.