The Fertility Change in Pakistan and Bangladesh - a Study of Failure and Success

Abstract: Bangladesh and Pakistan have a common history as one country and they are both predominantly Muslim with a similar culture. Despite this common context, and a lower economic development, Bangladesh has managed to reduce its total fertility rate considerably since the late 1980s, while Pakistan’s fertility rate reduction has lagged behind. The aim of this Thesis is to determine the reasons for this difference in fertility change. The focus is on gender relations and poverty and insecurity, factors known to affect the fertility rate. Several indicators of these variables are studied, such as the gender gap in education and urbanisation. An overview of family planning programmes and other social and population policies is also included. The results show that there are several factors that have contributed to the quicker fall in fertility in Bangladesh. The higher status of women is one important factor, while the results also indicate a poverty-driven fertility reduction where a long period of acute poverty has forced couples to re-evaluate their family-size decisions. A successful family planning programme and strong support from NGOs have also been benefitial. In Pakistan, women’s lower status and a stronger Islamic tradition has made a switch to smaller family units more difficult. The government support to family planning and other social policies have also been weaker. Nevertheless, a change has been determined in Pakistan since the late 1990s, where the fertility rates are beginning to fall. This may be attributed to a period of lower economic development, again supporting the poverty-driven fertility reduction theory.