The Effects of Family Size on Socioeconomic Status in Cameroon: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Much attention has been paid to the number, variety, and strength of the socioeconomic factors that influence women to deliberately inhibit their fertility and thereby limit the size of their families.1 This has been the trend in most Western countries, and research shows that some African and Middle Eastern countries are also beginning to witness small decreases in population growth.2 Cameroon is among those Sub-Saharan African countries that have witnessed a gradual decline in fertility rate. Specifically, in the past couple of decades, there has been a 2.71 percent decline in the fertility rate in the country. In 1991, the fertility rate was 6.8 percent,3 and currently it is 4.09 percent.4 The decline can be attributed to trends known as demographic innovators,5 which influence family size.