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Respondents in the 1998 NDHS were asked whether they wanted to have another
child and, if so, how soon. Table FP1 summarizes the information on women’s
reproductive preferences. Half (51 percent) of currently married women
in the Philippines say they want no more children, and an additional 10
percent have been sterilized (Figure FP1). Thirty-two percent of women
want to have a child at some time in the future; however, the majority
of these women (19 percent of all currently married women) say they would
like to wait two or more years before having their next birth. Only
12 percent of women say they want to have a child soon and 4 percent are
undecided about whether they want to have another child. Thus, the
vast majority of married women (81 percent) want either to space their
next birth or to limit childbearing altogether.
Table FP1. Fertility Preferences by Age
Percent distribution of currently married women age 15-49 by desire for more children, according to age, Philippines 1998
| Desire for children |
Age of woman |
| 15-19 |
20-24 |
25-29 |
30-34 |
35-39 |
40-44 |
45-49 |
Total |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Have another soon 1 |
20.2 |
13.0 |
12.2 |
14.5 |
11.1 |
10.7 |
7.6 |
12.0 |
| Have another later 2 |
52.9 |
47.4 |
33.0 |
17.2 |
6.6 |
3.0 |
0.9 |
18.7 |
| Have another, undecided when |
1.5 |
0.4 |
1.7 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.0 |
0.4 |
1.1 |
| Undecided |
7.2 |
7.1 |
5.4 |
4.8 |
4.2 |
2.5 |
0.7 |
4.3 |
| Want no more |
17.8 |
31.4 |
44.2 |
52.7 |
61.0 |
58.8 |
64.2 |
51.4 |
| Sterilized |
0.0 |
0.2 |
3.3 |
8.8 |
14.9 |
20.3 |
18.1 |
10.4 |
| Declared infecund |
0.2 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
0.7 |
1.0 |
3.4 |
7.6 |
1.8 |
| Missing |
0.2 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.4 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
| Number of women |
244 |
967 |
1585 |
1730 |
1602 |
1243 |
965 |
8336 |
1 Want next birth within 2 years
2 Want to delay next birth for 2 or more years
Source: NSO and MI, 1998 NDHS
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The desire to delay childbearing is largely concentrated among women under
age 30. As expected, the proportion wanting no more children increases
rapidly with age, with almost one-third of married women age 20-24 saying
that they do not want another birth. There has been little change
in overall fertility preferences since 1993, with the proportion of women
who either want no more children or are sterilized falling from 63 to 62
percent (NSO and MI, 1994:73).
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