The desire for children in tropical Africa: the influence of relatives on fertility decisions in Ankole, Uganda.

In a survey in Ankole (Uganda) in 1985, 1664 women in samples of the three socioeconomic groups (pastoralists, cultivators and mixed farmers) were asked questions on their reproductive history, and 1029 men questions on educational and wedding costs and their expectations of help from relatives and obligations to help relatives. It is shown that the extended family system allows a great deal of mutual support, while the power of the elders allows them to influence younger married relatives to follow the pronatalist traditions of the society.