Motherhood in sub-Saharan Africa: The social consequences of infertility in an urban population in northern Tanzania

This paper examines the personal and social ramifications of infertility in an African urban population with low fertility. The study was conducted in Moshi, Tanzania, a multi-ethnic community with relatively high levels of education and a well developed health services infrastructure. The major question to be addressed was whether in a low fertility urban population, both primary and secondary infertility bring about serious personal ramifications for women similar to those in rural areas. The methodology included a survey of 2,019 women and in-depth interviews with 25 fertile and 25 infertile women. Of the 1,549 sexually active women in a regular union, 2.7% had never had a child in spite of trying to conceive for at least two years. Of the 1,352 women who had previously had a child, an additional 6.1% were subsequently infertile. The most important finding from the qualitative analysis concerns the major difference between childlessness and subsequent infertility (or primary and secondary infertility) in terms of implications for the effected women. These findings underline the importance of bearing a child in sub-Saharan African populations.