Fertility, socioeconomic status, and the position of women in a Javanese village

Abstract

Over recent years, and particularly during the period spanning World Population Year and International Women's Year, there has been growing attention to the relation between the status of women and fertility. A central assumption, based on research findings in several countries, is that the provision of education and improved socioeconomic standing in general results in a better position of women and smaller family size. In Java, however, evidence from recent demographic surveys indicates that there is a positive association between fertility and various measures of socioeconomic status, including educational level. The present study investigates the relations among fertility, socioeconomic status, and the position of women in a village in the Yogyakarta region of central Java. Using data collected in a multi-stage survey and supplemented by participant observation, the research provides further evidence of a direct relation between socioeconomic status and fertility, and also indicates that higher socioeconomic status implies a different, but not necessarily better, position of women in many important dimensions of daily life. The study examines the causes of the observed fertility differentials, considering both voluntary and involuntary factors, and describes important social class differences in the sociocultural context of childbearing. It illustrates the need for any policy measures to take account of the complex nature of the relation between women's roles and their fertility in contrasting socioeconomic groups.