How your spouse's religion will determine the number of children you have

Regions where Islam is dominant will soon overtake the rest in population growth as religion becomes a major determinant of family size in Kenya.

A recent survey indicates that Muslims desire bigger families than any other Kenyans, findings that could help inform the future population composition.

Three in every four Muslims told Consumer Insight that they would prefer to have three or more children.

A key finding of the poll on about 3,600 respondents showed religion had a huge bearing on family size, but with non-Muslims more likely to have two children or less.

Among Christians, Catholics are more likely to have larger families.

“It is clear that the ideal family size is shaped by the religion of the individual,” said Ruth Ruigu, the director of research at Consumer Insight.

The findings that also indicated that non-Muslims were twice as likely to have only one child are significant, considering the population growth in regions where Islam is predominant.

BIRTH CONTROL

Results from the last census in Wajir and Mandera, for instance, raised eyebrows following an abnormally large growth rate, with fertility rates put at three times the national average.

A raging debate about the use of contraception in the Catholic and Islam faiths is still out there, as religion emerges as the most critical input in determining family size.

A previous study by Save the Children found that just 2 per cent of the population of Wajir County uses contraception compared to a national Kenyan average of 58 per cent.

Respondents said modern contraceptive methods were in breach of Islamic principles.

Catholics are broadly known to frown on birth control, with Pope Francis – viewed as very liberal – saying the subject as very difficult.

The pope however did not take a clear position on whether contraception should be allowed, only citing it as “less evil” in absolutely limited cases as in victims such as rape.

The preference for more children among Muslims and Catholics is thought to have raised the national average of ideal family size to two or more.

Only a quarter of those interviewed actually had three children or more, in the survey that targeted respondents older than 13.

SMALLER FAMILIES

Older respondents were found to desire or actually have more children, representing a general trend of smaller families as a result of soaring materialism and difficult economic times.

And given the choice of having only one child, more Kenyans said they would prefer to have a boy.

Nearly twice as many people said they would wish their only child were a boy, even though a vast majority at 62 per cent reported that they were indifferent to the gender.

Ms Ruigu said the preference for boys was rooted in tradition, where families with more men were considered safer from outside aggression.

“Although most people are more gender neutral with regard to preferred child, males are more likely to prefer boys than girls,” she said of the bias among fathers towards more sons than daughters.

Nine out of every 10 married Kenyans said they were happy. And a third of the couples surveyed did not have a formal marriage ceremony, preferring instead to move in together in what is informally known as ‘come-we-stay’.

The high cost of weddings was singled out as the biggest deterrent to prospective spouses who dream of having a church wedding.

According to the poll, ugali remains the ideal family dish for dinner, with rice taking the top position for lunch. Tea is a favourite for breakfast.