The demography of the Thai Muslims : with special reference to nuptiality and fertility

Abstract

In Thailand, approximately 4 per cent of the population are Thai Muslims. More than three-fifths of the Thai Muslims are concentrated in the southernmost provinces namely Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, Satun and some adjacent districts to Songkhla province. This population sub-group is distinct from the Thai Buddhists, in both the general level of socio-economic development and particular cultural circumstances. To date, little detailed information has been avilable on their sociodemographic characteristics. This study attempts to assess patterns of nuptiality, fertility levels and differences, fertility control activities and socio-economic factors in Southern Thai Muslim society. Since most of the Thai Muslims are living in the South, it is expected that this study will provide a clear picture about fertility and nuptiality of this population sub-group in Thailand as a whole, and will assist government efforts in planning strategies for development of the region and its people. Two main sources of data used in this study were the unpublished 1970 Census data, and the Southern Thai Muslims Survey (STMS). The STMS was conducted during April-May 1976 and covered 2082 households in 20 urban blocks and 82 villages of the Southern Thai Muslim area. The findings from the study indicated that the Southern Thai Muslims married young and their marriage were often unstable. Because of the shortage of males in some marriageble ages, a 'marriage squeeze' was a serious problem, and the husband-wife age differential was large. Divorce and remarriage were common and men were more likely to divorce their wives and remarry than to take more than one wife at a time. The majority of men and women in the study area had a negative attitude toward polygyny. Fertility of the study population was at a moderate level. There were fertility differentials according to socio-economic status, residence and religion. As previous studies have found, Southern Thai Muslims had lower fertility than the Thai Buddhists, however this study still revealed that the differences were small, and found mainly among the older women. Possible underreporting of fertility could also have led to low fertility estimates. Marital disruption was found to be the most important factor limiting fertility potential, followed by fecundity impairment. Within the limitations of data, this study still found that prolonged breastfeeding was likely to be another important explanatory variable affecting low fertility. It is likely that contraceptive practice, particulary traditional methods, was underreported by the couples. Couples in the study area had a very low percentage of current contraceptive practice. Abortion was well known but is still a secret birth control method. Education was the most influential factor affecting nuptiality and fertility differentials among the Southern Thai Muslims. It had a negative relationship with fertility among younger women but a positive or mixed relationship among older women. The Southern Thai Muslim women were more liberal than men in their attitudes towards the position of women but they still perceived men as dominant. Although Southern Thai Muslim women had a higher position in term of education and employment than women in other Muslim societies, their position was still lower than that of Thai Buddhist women. Direct observation, field notes and discussions with the local leaders, respondents and villagers were very useful in this study. Since some limitations prevented the study from proving the impact of some intermediate variables on fertility, further reserch with reliable information and a large enough sample size to investigate each of the intermediate variables are needed.