Interrogating the implications of marriage and gendered power for fertility and sexual behavior.

Abstract:  Despite the very dramatic fertility declines of the 1980s and 1990s in a handful of sub-Saharan African countries, the same countries have experienced stalls, if not reversals, in their transitions. In numerous other countries across the region, fertility has stayed very high. Not surprisingly, levels of unmet need, too, remain substantial across Africa, and this is despite half a century of family planning policy programming. Why have fertility policies and programs been as ineffective as they have been in sub-Saharan Africa? This talk will develop the argument that the institution of marriage, and particularly how it is transacted across much of the region, has implications for the sexual and fertility decisions upon which transitions are predicated. Evidence from discussions with young adolescent boys—aged 13-15 years—in Ghana, buttress the argument about the centrality of marriage to male control over certain aspects of women's lives, including their sexuality, and highlight the implications for fertility, HIV spread, and other reproductive health concerns.