Fertility in Saudi Arabia: levels and determinants

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present the fertility levels in Saudi Arabia and determine the most important determinants of fertility behavior of Saudi women. It utilizes a sub-sample of a demographic survey that covers all geographic areas of the Country, which was conducted by Ministry of Planning in 1999. It contains information about nearly 10000 families, from which 6472 are Saudi families. Using some statistical techniques such as one-way analysis of variance and correlation coefficients, important relationships between fertility and several demographic, socio-economic, and spatial variables, were explored. These include some wife and husband’s characteristics, and some family’s attributes. In an attempt to understand fertility behavior of Saudi women, a regression analysis was utilized. It is found that age at marriage and woman’s education are apparently the most important determinants of fertility behavior. It is also found that some variables, specifically “children death”, “son preference”, and the geographic region, are significant determinants of fertility. Opposite to the expectation, the analysis shows that living within an extended family setting is associated with low fertility levels. Also surprisingly, woman’s participation in the labor force and husband’s educational attainment were not among the significant fertility determinants in Saudi Arabia. Finally, the study was able to present few suggestions and recommendations.