The Patterns and Causes of Fertility Differentials in the Sudan (with reference to nomadic and settled populations) (Book).

A demographic survey was carried out in 1961- 62 in certain parts of the country to study fertility differentials between nomadic and settled populations. In the paper referred to, the magnitude of the fertility differentials between the various groups was considered only in terms of the average numbers of births reported for women in different age groups. In this paper a closer examination is made of the patterns of the differentials, and possible underlying causes are then assessed. After eliminating the childless women and standardizing for age at first maternity, the mean number of live births is generally higher for Gezira and Managil than for the two nomadic populations and Muglad, for each age at first maternity. In communities characterized by early marriage, absence of contraception and high emphasis on fertility, childlessness generally means involuntary childlessness and would thus be a close measure of inability of the couple to procreate. In such circumstances a measure of childlessness would be provided by the proportion of childless women among married women over reproductive age.