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"The objective of this paper is to discuss the role that three of the proximate determinants of fertility (marriage, contraception and post-partum insusceptibility) have played in fertility change in Latin America and the Caribbean. First we look at issues of data availability and comparability on measures of the proximate determinants from retrospective surveys. Most of the data utilized come from the World Fertility Survey (WFS) and the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) projects. Second, we present results from the most widely applied model for assessing the impact that these proximate determinants have on fertility, that of Bongaarts....Finally, we compare the results from the application of the Bongaarts model with those from an alternative method proposed by Moreno. Both models show that increased use of contraception is by far the most important reason for fertility decline, with marriage and post-partum insusceptibility making much smaller contributions. However, the second model suggests that the role of the marriage and post-partum insusceptibility factors is much smaller than is shown by the Bongaarts model." (SUMMARY IN ENG), (excerpt)

"This paper reviews survey-based data regarding contraceptive prevalence and methods employed in Latin America and the Caribbean, with an emphasis on changes in the mix of methods over time. The most striking recent trend is the rise in use of female sterilization.... By contrast, use of male sterilization remains negligible in most countries. The oral contraceptive pill is by far the most popular of the temporary methods, though its prevalence has more often declined than increased in recent years. Together female sterilization and the pill make up around [two-thirds] of contraceptive practice in Latin America and the Caribbean." (SUMMARY IN ENG), (excerpt)

A methodological experiment was conducted as part of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) project to determine whether different approaches to measuring the same variables would yield similar results. The experiment consisted of the use of a new questionnaire, incorporating variants of many of the traditional approaches to the collection of demographic and health data. The experimental questionnaire was applied in 2 countries, Peru and the Dominican Republic at the same time as the standard survey. The most salient feature of this new questionnaire pregnancies, contraceptive practice, and postpartum, marriage, employment, and migration information. In this paper, the authors evaluate whether the use of the calendar in the experimental questionnaire improved the quality of the resulting information on contraception in the DHS surveys from the abovementioned countries. Specifically, the author determine whether the monthly calendar led to better estimates of contraceptive prevalence, failure, and discontinuation, and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the calendar over the more standard approach. Results from this evaluation suggest that the major advantages of the calendar over the more standard questionnaire are 3-fold: it allows for more complete reports of use for periods prior to the survey; it allows for a detailed study of contraceptive use patterns; and it obtains information which is more internally consistent with other types of information. On the bases of these findings, the DHS project will include a calendar in the new standard questionnaire to be used in the 2nd round of surveys (DHS II).

"The paper argues that women's status in Haiti is a factor favorable to the spread of modern contraception and a potential rapid demographic transition from high to low fertility. After briefly reviewing recent theories on the determining of fertility declines, the paper considers women's status in Haiti. It discusses family patterns, conjugal unions, and economic activities. Finally, it reviews current patterns of contraceptive use and considers how these are related to various aspects of women's status.", (excerpt)