There is a general perception that fertility has been declining over a decade in Lesotho, and this has
sparked the debate that fertility transition is drawing closer in Lesotho. The growing concern was
stimulated by limited studies showing the effect of socio-economic factors on fertility in Lesotho and
variations in proximate determinants. The paper examines recent fertility trends in Lesotho using various
demographic techniques of fertility estimation and determines whether the onset of fertility transition has
begun in Lesotho. The secondary aim is to assess and control errors in the Lesotho Demographic and
Health Survey of 2004, thus providing robust and reliable estimates.
The analysis utilizes the secondary data from 2004 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS). The
data set comprised of a sample of 7095 women who participated in the survey. The use of 1996 Lesotho
Population Census and 2002 Lesotho Reproductive and Health Survey were made to facilitate comparison
with 2004 LDHS, and to provide differentials and measure changes over time in fertility. The P/F ratio
method developed by Brass and the modified version, Relational Gompertz Model are employed and used
to assess the quality of data as well as determining fertility levels and trends. The findings reveal that the overall fertility among women in Lesotho during 2004 LDHS is 4.02.
Application of different methods depicts that fertility remains high in Lesotho, although considered
moderate according to sub-Saharan standards. Despite the fact that TFR is high, overall fertility decline is
evident. The estimates of fertility range between 3.5 and 5.6 depending on the technique in use. The reason
for the high observed fertility is that women in the rural areas still cherish quite a substantial family size.
Nevertheless, changing acceptance and perception of using contraception, delayed marriage, high levels of
education and economic development among women in Lesotho contributes considerably to fertility
declines in Lesotho. As a result, disparities that continue to propel fertility levels within population groups
incite reassessment of existing research and policy so as to enhance development strategies as well as
action programmes. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College, 2011.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/8636 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Shale, Mashale. |
| Contributors | Nzimande, Nompumelelo. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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