ABSTRACT
The levels of natural fertility that have varied over space and time reflect cultural variation. Informed policy and intervention is possible only by specifying the determinants of "natural fertility" at particular times for particular culture regions. The findings reveal that "natural fertility" consists of a discrete and identifiable set of determinants. Examination of these determinants reveals that "natural fertility" is the outcome of both intentional activities and the unintentional, and in some cases, unintended, effects of non-reproductive behavior. Fertility among Liberian women engaged in agriculture reflects a balance in which a conscious demand for pregnancies, and surviving children is modified by, and expressed through, behavioral constraints associated with the age at marriage, polygyny and early childhood deaths, the mean period of lactation, and the effects of gonorrhea. Household income was also a determinant of gonorrhea. Women have responsibility for day-to-day household maintenance, but both girls and boys assist.
