Department of Demography, College for Health, Community & Policy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America.
Department of Population and Behavioral Science, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2021 Feb 19;16(2):e0247189. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247189. eCollection 2021.
Childbirth outside marriage has several negative implications for the well-being of children, women, and families globally. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, the phenomenon appears to be under-studied. In this study, we examine the levels and socioeconomic correlates of nonmarital fertility in Ghana. Using pooled data from the 2003, 2008, and the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys, logistic regression models were used in determining significantly predictive factors of nonmarital fertility. The results show that nonmarital fertility levels have been on the rise over time without any sign of reduction (24.0%, 33.0%, and 40.0% for 2003, 2008, and 2014, respectively). Some socioeconomic characteristics are linked to nonmarital fertility levels with women without formal education, women from poor households, and self-employed women having significantly higher nonmarital fertility risks. Also, older unmarried women, women who have an early sexual debut, cohabiters, women with unmet need for family planning are all associated with considerably higher risks of nonmarital childbearing. A few significant regional disparities also exist, with the Central Region having higher whereas the Upper West Region has lower risks of nonmarital fertility compared to the Greater Accra Region. Childbirth outside marriage is a social concern among women in Ghana. The findings have possible implications for bridging socioeconomic disparities among unmarried women.
非婚生育对全球儿童、妇女和家庭的福祉有几个负面影响。然而，在撒哈拉以南非洲，这种现象似乎研究不足。在这项研究中，我们考察了加纳非婚生育率的水平和社会经济关联因素。我们使用了来自 2003 年、2008 年和 2014 年加纳人口与健康调查的汇总数据，使用逻辑回归模型确定了非婚生育率的显著预测因素。结果表明，非婚生育率一直在上升，没有任何减少的迹象（分别为 2003 年、2008 年和 2014 年的 24.0%、33.0%和 40.0%）。一些社会经济特征与非婚生育率水平有关，没有正规教育的妇女、来自贫困家庭的妇女和自营职业的妇女，非婚生育的风险明显更高。此外，年龄较大的未婚妇女、性初体验较早的妇女、同居者、计划生育未满足需求的妇女，都与非婚生育的风险显著增加有关。也存在一些显著的地区差异，与大阿克拉地区相比，中部地区的非婚生育率风险较高，而上西部地区则较低。非婚生育是加纳妇女关注的社会问题。这些发现可能对弥合未婚妇女之间的社会经济差距有影响。
