[Female fertility in Algeria: biodemographic and psychosocial aspects].

The survey was completed in the Mustafa Hospital of Algiers in the obstetrical-gynecological ward by administering 3 questionnaires dealing with anthropological socioeconomic and demographic information to women who were under 55 years old with at least 1 child and who presented at the ward during July 28-August 31 1988. A total of 239 women with an average age of 30.9 years were interviewed in French. 82% had some education. A subgroup of 40 women were also queried about reproduction to gather psychosocial information. The age at first marriage averaged 20.8 years for the whole group while 42% got married before 19 years old. Women who were 40-55 years old had an average number of 6.1 live births. Women 25-39 years old who got married at the age of 15-19 had an average of 4.2 live births while women of the same who were married after 25 years old had only 1.9 births. In the 25-39 age group illiterate women had 5 live births those with elementary school had 3.5 births those with secondary school had 2.4 births and college or university educated women had 1.7 births. Most women preferred a partner from their own ethnic group. 66% of marriages were amongst Arabs and 77% amongst Kabils or Berbers. Consanguineous marriages constituted 16.7% among Arabs and 27% among Kabils. Polygyny amounted to 11.1% among the Arabs and 19.1% among the Kabils. The age at menarche was 14.3 +or- 1.5 years. 7.5% of women used the IUD 42.7% used oral contraceptives and a total of 66% stated that they used some kind of contraceptive. The reasons for nonuse of contraception were the desire to have children (35 women or 15%) and the husbands opposition (9 women 3.8%). The psychosocial views of 40 subjects regarding reproduction generally agreed with previous opinions. The findings confirm the demographic change that has been substantiated in the country recently.