Religiosity as a Factor of Fertility and Contraceptive Behavior in Pakistan


	Journal of Applied Sciences
	Year: 2003 \| Volume: 3 \| Issue: 3 \| Page No.: 158-166 DOI: 10.3923/jas.2003.158.166

Religiosity as a Factor of Fertility and Contraceptive Behavior in Pakistan

M. Iqbal Zafar , Fawad Asif and Sultan Adil

Abstract: A study was conducted in two major urban centres Faisalabad and Lahore of Pakistan to know the views of respondents about the contraceptive use and family size and composition. Total 1100 women (400 users and 700 non-users of contraception) were interviewed to explore objectives. The high level of fatalism regarding procreation with low sense of personal effectiveness in controlling fertility and prohibition of contraceptive use (perceived by people) in Islamic for birth spacing are undoubtedly responsible for high fertility in Pakistan. The Islamic view point on the issue of fatalism and contraceptive use clearly demonstrates that pronatalist tendencies in Islam stem less from direct injunctions to procreate than from the support of other socio-cultural values and misinformation about the religion. Islam imposes restriction, on procreation in terms of responsibilities involved in children`s socialization. Islam does not encourage the viewpoint that predestination makes a human being skeptical with regard to control over his own actions. The use of wisdom to plan every day life for the betterment of family and society is according to the principles of Islam. A number of hadiths permit the use of `Al-azl or coitus interruptus` as a method of contraception. From the findings of this study it can be argued that fertility decline is only possible when it is no longer regarded as fatalistic and comes into the realm of perceived personal control.

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How to cite this article:

M. Iqbal Zafar , Fawad Asif and Sultan Adil , 2003. Religiosity as a Factor of Fertility and Contraceptive Behavior in Pakistan. Journal of Applied Sciences, 3: 158-166.

DOI: 10.3923/jas.2003.158.166

URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jas.2003.158.166

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