ABSTRACT
Students of population change, moved perhaps more by malthusianism than by feminism, have been interested in female employment largely as a variable affecting fertility. Feminists are bent on freedom of choice. They wish to be free to control their fertility but will not accept any mutual exclusivity between productive and reproductive roles. Western women social scientists often find the compatibility/incompatibility of motherhood and labor force participation to be an immediately appealing focus for empirical inquiry. Data on respondents' household help is presented with salaried help distinguished from relatives who receive room, board, and some pocket money. The data on fertility include desired number of children, knowledge and use of African and Western contraceptive methods, and actual family size. African family structure offers considerable opportunity to locate unpaid or informally paid sources of child care via co-wives or kin. The analysis of contraceptive use among women interviewed distinguished African methods from Western methods.
