FAMILY STRUCTURE AND FERTILITY IN PUERTO RICO

Abstract

This is a report of the findings from a survey of attitudes and behavior with respect to birth control. The survey was conducted in 1953-54, and involved interviews of approximately one hour with lower class families marriedIess than zo years. Studies prior to this survey had shown 'that rnost Puerto Rican families have more children than they want to have. These earlier studies had also shown that the discrepancy was apparently not due to lack of knokwledge about birth control, unavailability of birth control material s, or religious objections to contraception. Exploratory studies by the authors of this article had suggested further factors which might explain the difference. These were tested by the survey. The dependent variable "family planning" was divided into the following categories: Nevér Users, Quitters, Current Users, and Sterilized. Five blocks of independent variables were included in the interview. They were: 1. General Value System: Fatalism-striving, traditionalism-modernism, aspirations for self and children, and tendencies toward general planning. 2. Family Action Possibilities: Marital happiness, agreement on general issues, sexual satisfaction, communication on general issues, communication on family size ideals and birth control, modesty handicaps, familistic organization types, family readiness of actionon birth control. 3. Specijic Family Size Attitedes: Attitudes towards importance of children, ideal family size, sense of pressure of fertility on family resources, interest in spacing children. 4. Informational and Attitudinal Attributes: Information on methods, attitudes toward birth control, agreement on birth control. 5. Background Factors: Residence, occupation,education, religión, rental value of house, type of marital union, age at marriage. The hypotheses were that successful use of birth control would be associated with (1) modernism-striving-planning; (2) happiness-agreement-communication-readiness; (3) sma11 family mindedness; and ( 4) know'ledge about and favorable attitudes toward birth control methods. In addition, it was hypothesized that each of these four blocks of variableswould be related to each other in the same ways. The hypotheses with respect to background variables were less conventional. It was hypothesized that religious affiliation (catholic-protestant) would fail to differentiate; that economic status and education would not-differentiate (because the sample is limited to lower class); ,that YOllfiger wives are less likely to practice birth control; and that rural, consensually .married families will prefer large families. There are more than 8,000 separate hypotheses which rnight be tested if a11 variables of each "block" are tabulated with a11 variables ofevery other block", Of the 8,000, 81 wereseleeted. Of these 81 -associations,47 were found to be significant at the 5 per cent level, 29 we,:e not significant, and 5 reversed theexpected relationship. The five unexpected findings included: (a)rural.consensual marriages werethe most favorable (rather than the .least favorable) toward small families, · (b) subjects using birth control were likely to be less satisfied (rather than more satisfied) with general life conditions, and (c) in families where birth control had long been used, the wife was likely tú be less satisfied (rather. than more sátisfied) sexuapy. The authors conclude that the foflowing factors are. important for effective planning;: (1) a general "modera" value system; (2) definite views favoring sma11 families, (3) sufficient information on birth control methods and favorable attitudes towards using them; and (4}. effectlve family organization.