MSU LIBRARIES ”- RETURNING MATERIALS: Place in book drop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES w111 be charged if book is returned after the date stamped below. SAUDI STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD FERTILITY AND FAMILY SIZE BY Abdullah A. Al-Said A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Sociology 1988 ABSTRACT SAUDI STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD FERTILITY AND FAMILY SIZE BY Abdullah A. Al—Said This study investigated the perceptions of U.S. Saudi students regarding fertility and family size and attempted to answer the following questions: 1. Does a relationship exist between the fertility and family size attitudes of Saudi students and their religious backgrounds? 2. Is there any relationship between Saudi students' length of stay in the United States and their fertility and family size attitudes? 3. Do U.S. Saudi students feel that Saudi Arabia has yet to face population problems? A questionnaire was used to collect data from 54 respondents at Michigan State University in 1988. Using descriptive statistics, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance, the findings indicated a strong relationship between respondents' level of religiosity and attitude toward large family size. There were no significant Al-Said relationships between respondents' age and length of stay, and family size preference. Most respondents thought the present Saudi population size is too small; they opposed any policy to control Saudi population growth. DEDICATION To my parents , my wife, and my lovely daughter iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank and express my appreciation to those who assisted in the completion of this study. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my advisor, Professor Thomas Conner, for his understanding, support, and assistance in achieving this research project. I also wish to express sincere appreciation to the other committee members, Professor Jay Artis and Professor Christopher Vanderpool, for their assistance and helpful advice. I also would like to express my thanks to all Saudi students at Michigan State University for their cooperation. Special thanks go to my father, mother, and all my family members for their love and encouragement. Special thanks go to my wife, Hessa Al-Hasmy, for her support, concern, and encouragement. Finally, I wish to express to my deepest affection for my lovely daughter, Shatha. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES O O O O O O O O O O O I O O O I O Vii Chapter I 0 INTRODUCTION 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 1 Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . 1 Objectives of the Study . . . . . . . . . 2 Definition of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Delimitations of the Study . . . . . . . 3 II. RELATED RESEARCH AND LITERATURE . . . . . 4 BaCKground I O O O O O O O O O O O 4 Fartility and Family Size in Developing Cbuntries . . . . . . . . 6 Fertility and Family in Saudi Arabia . . 17 III. RESEARCH PROCEDURE . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Research Questions and Hypotheses . . . . 23 survey sample 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O 24 The Survey Instrument . . . . . . . . . . 24 Data COIIeCtion O O O O O O O O O O O O O 25 Dependent and Independent Variables . . . 27 Dependent Variables . . . . . . . . . . 27 Independent Variables . . . . . . . . . 27 AnaIYSis Of Data 0 O O O O O O O 0 O O O 28 IV. FINDINGS O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O I O 29 The Hypothesis Tests . . . . . . . . . . 45 V. SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, AND CONCLUSIONS . . . 56 Major Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Suggestions for Further Study . . . . . . 61 APPENDIX A O O O I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 62 BIBLIOGRAPHY O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O O O 71 11. 12. 13. 14. LIST OF TABLES Crude Birth Rates (CBR's) and Total Fertility Rates (TFR's) in Islamic Countries for 1960-1980 . . . . . . . . . . . Saudi Arabia: Age-Specific Fertility Rates, Total Fertility Rate, Crude Birth Rate and Sex Ratio at Birth, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . Saudi Arabia: Distribution of Households by Household Size, 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . Saudi Arabia: Percentage Distribution of Households by Household Size, 1984 . . . . . Frequency of respondents' age group . . . . . . Frequency of respondents' duration of stay in the U.S. O O O O O O O O O O O O O I O O O 0 Frequency of respondents' marital status . . . Number of children single respondents intended to have . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Number of years respondents have been married . Married respondents' number of children . . . . Number of children the married respondents intended to have . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NUmber of children respondents desired to have Number of children respondents' wives desired to have 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Distribution of respondents' opinions as to whether the husband should decide how many how'many children his wife should have . . . vii Page 13 21 22 22 30 30 31 31 32 33 33 34 35 36 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. '28. 29. Respondents' ideal number of children . . . . . Number of children considered to be too many by respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Respondents' perceptions of the present size of Saudi Arabia's population . . . . . . Respondents' perceptions about controlling population growth in Saudi Arabia . . . . . . Respondents' perceptions about adoption of a population policy in Saudi Arabia . . . . . Respondents' perceptions about the importance of religion . . . . . . . . . . . Respondents' performance of religious activities Respondents' age by number of children they have now (in percentage) . . . . . . . . . . The importance of religion by respondents' ideal number of children . . . . . . . . . . Respondents' opinions regarding whether the husband should decide the number of children his wife should have by the importance of religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Respondents' perceptions about the size of the present population by perception of adopting a population policy in Saudi Arabia Respondents' perceptions of the present size of Saudi Arabia's population by the importance of religion (in percent) . . . . . Summary table for one-way analysis of variance of ideal number of children according to duration of stay in the U.S. . . . . . . . Summary table for one-way analysis of variance of desired number of children with duration Of Stay in the U.S. O O O O O O O O O O O O O One-way analysis of variance for number of children considered to be to many with duration of stay in the U.S. . . . . . . . . . viii Page 37 38 38 39 40 41 42 43 43 44 45 47 47 48 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. Page Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for respondents' perceptions about the importance of religion regarding ideal number of children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for importance of religion regarding desired number of children . . . . . . . . . . 49 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for importance of religion regarding number of children considered to be too many . SO One-way analysis of variance for ideal number of children with performance of religious acti-Vities O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 51 One-way analysis of variance for desired number of children with performance of religious aCtiVities O O O O O O O O O O I O O O O O I O 51 One-way analysis of variance for perception about how'many children were considered to be too many with perfommance of religious activities . 51 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for age group with ideal number of Children I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 52 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for age group with desired number of Children 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 53 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for age group with respondents' perceptions regarding how'many children were considered to be too many . . . . . . . . 53 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for married, single respondents with their perceptions of ideal number of children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for respondents' marital status and their perception of howlnany children were considered too many . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem In the past few decades, we have heard much about the world's overpopulation problem. Even though this may be true, some societies are not concerned with this problem. While fertility behavior in most of the developed societies tends to be increasingly determined by rational family decisions, and social and economic differentials are decreasing in importance, fertility behavior in the developing societies is still puzzling. Recently, in Saudi Arabia, married couples seem to be deciding not to have as many children. Looking at this phenomena from a sociological perspective, we might assume a number of reasons for this decline. Knowledge of and ease in obtaining contraceptives could be a major reason. The increasing number of working women may also influence this decision as well as the fact that couples in Saudi Arabia are tending to marry at a later period in their lives. In addition, economic factors may motivate others to limit their family sizes. In the early 19708, there was an increase in the number of Saudi students attending overseas schools, and 1 2 the United States has been the major recipient of Saudi students among the developed countries. Today Saudi students go to study in the United States and usually stay for a long time to obtain their degrees and complete their educations. This study attempts to explore the attitudes of Saudi students toward fertility and family size. Objectives of the Study The main purpose of this thesis is to trace and examine the attitudes of Saudi students in the United States toward fertility and family size. More specifically, the objectives of this study are: 1. To identify some of the determinants of fertility behavior. 2. To examine the relationship between fertility and selected social and demographic variables. 3. To highlight cultural factors influencing differences in fertility behavior. 4. To contribute some knowledge to the literature of fertility and family size. Definition of Terms Fertility and Family Size Attitude: This term refers to the attitude toward desired and ideal number of children. Desired Number of Children: the number of children that are looked upon as a goal or a family size goal. 3 Ideal Number of Children: is the standard number of children or the family size standard. Religiosity: the degree of belief in, participation in, and practice of an individual in the Islamic religion. Duration of Stay: is the period of time that individuals have spent in the United States. Delimitations of the Study The following are recognized limitations of this study: 1. The study is limited to male Saudi students enrolled at Michigan State University. 2. The research survey has been conducted only at Michigan State University during the winter of 1988. 3. The student's perceptions, gathered by the research questionnaire, are the only data used in this study. CHAPTER II RELATED RESEARCH AND LITERATURE Fertility and family size research is examined in this chapter. The related literature will be reviewed as follows. First, a background of the conceptual framework regarding fertility behavior will be presented. Second, fertility and family size in developing countries will be discussed. Finally, fertility and family size in Saudi Arabia will be examined. Background Studies on fertility behavior began nearly four decades ago. It has been studied through several analytical frameworks: the theory of demographic transition, and the sociological and economic frameworks related to the family framework. The demographic transition theory (Notestein 1945) is mainly a description of the sequence of events which are assumed to take place on a macro level when a society moves from high to low death and birth rates. The sociological framework involves employing certain variables such as geographic areas, 4 5 socioeconomic: status, family systems, urban/rural residence, religion and ethnicity to explain differentials ix: fertility. Fertility differentials have declined in importance among the white population in the U.S.A. This is particularly true for the first three variables mentioned above (Riser, Wilson, and Campbell 1968). In developing countries the urban-rural differential, as well as socioeconomic status, continues to have a strong influence on fertility levels. While the sociological framework has included economic aspects, it concentrates primarily on the effects of income on human fertility behavior. Economists have mainly emphasized study, on the macro level, of the relationship between such variables as per capita income and percentage of the population involved in agriculture on the one hand, and fertility levels on the other. Research in developed countries, and more recently in developing countries, suggests that economic development and the decline in fertility are closely related to each other. The majority would emphasize, however, that high fertility is one of the major problems of mankind today. It is seen as the main cause of the lack of economic and social development, poverty, low standards of living, and many other social problems. 6 Fertility and Family Size in Developing Countries It is known that fertility and family size are larger in developing countries than in developed countries. Gadalla (1978) explained why fertility is relatively high in undeveloped countries by saying that "Societal fertility levels are related to variation in the cultural norms about reproduction which in turn are related to the nature of the society" (p. 2). Cogswell and Sussman (1979) argued when it is likely that a family will have a high or low fertility rate. They stated that: Families who live within isolated socially homogeneous groups, with the exception of nomads, tend to have the highest fertility rates and the largest completed family sizes. Families who have socially diverse contacts and experiences tend to have lower fertility rates and smaller completed family sizes. (p. 181) Davis and Blake (1956) point out some factors which determine the fertility rate of a society. They call them "intermediate variables." By this they mean intermediate between social institutions and norms, on the one hand, and fertility on the other. Any social influence on fertility can only operate by affecting one or more of these intermediate variables. Davis and Blake argue that since having some children is very important in pre-industrial societies, a society with high mortality is likely to have built into its structure a strong pressure for having children early in marriage, and also for having some extra children as a 7 safeguard against catastrophic loss of the essential minimum number. If favorable economic conditions develop, this may result in too may children. Therefore a delicate balance of pressure toward higher fertility to balance at least the minimum of children and counter pressure to minimize the surplus of children should exist. Factors determining fertility in developing societies have been widely discussed in the demographic literature. El-Badry (1982) argues why fertility reductions occurred, especially in African and Asian countries. He stated a number of factors, including: 1. Nuclear families reduced their family size as a result of changes in social structure brought about by urbanization and industrialization. 2. The higher survival of the young and old resulting from reductions in mortality and higher dependency burdens, thus forcing families to be of small size. 3. Children become economic burdens rather than assets on account of the abolition of child labor and compulsory education laws. 4. Education and the emancipation of women have encouraged their participation in gainful employment to a greater extent than child rearing. 5. The opportunities for upward social mobility have caused shifts in time and effort from child rearing to improving one's status. Similar to the previous factors, Looney (1985) summarizes the most important variables that correlate with fertility in the Arab region as follows: 8 1. Levels of infant mortality. Fertility tends to vary directly with this figure. 2. The degree of urbanization. This is almost inversely related to the level of fertility. 3. Level of education or literacy and female labor force participation. These are negatively related to levels of fertility. 4. The level of per capital income or standard of living. Here, the relationship tends to vary from country to country. 5. Social status of females. Looney concluded that most of these variables, while significant for individual Arab countries, have not been shown to correlate with fertility for the region as a whole. Religious affiliation is the factor that is least dependent upon socioeconomic status and yet is strongly related to fertility, as well as to preferences for children. Most studies in developed and developing societies have found it to be highly related. The greatest differences appear between Moslems and others in the Middle East, Central Asia and India (Driver 1963; Kirk 1967; Rizk 1963). Indian studies have also pointed to the relatively high Hindu fertility rates, exceeded only by that of Moslem communities. In reviewing the social correlates of fertility among 36 ethnic groups in the U.S.S.R., Mazur (1967) also points to the high fertility of Buddhists. 9 Blake (1966a, 1966b) has documented the comparative ideal family size of Catholics and non-Catholics in the U.S. He found a direct relationship between Catholic education and the desired and achieved ideal family size. Catholic education below the high school level did not seem to have much effect, and the greatest impact was visible in those with a college education. As mentioned above, religion plays a significant role in determining fertility attitudes. Spillane and Ryser (1975) conducted a survey concerning fertility attitudes, knowledge and practices of married men in Pittsburgh. They found that religion was a very important factor in their study. They stated that: Religion clearly differentiates the respondents with respect to fertility variables. The major difference is between Christian and non- Christian men. Within the Christian tradition, Catholic men desire more children, have achieved greater parity, and expected to have larger families than Protestant men. Of the four religious groups, those men non-Protestant, Catholic or Jewish are consistently the lowest parity, and desire and expect fewer children. This overall religious differentiation persists regardless of the other control variables examined. (p. 51) Compton, Coward and Wilson (1985) also examined the relationship between family size and religious denomination in Northern Ireland. They found that "the average number of children born alive to ever-married Roman Catholic families in 1983 was 3.24, compared with 10 2.29 children for the corresponding group of non- Catholic women." Islam, like other religions, has a strong and effective influence (n1 fertility. Moslems are encouraged to have high fertility rates and large families. However, Gadalla (1978) argues that "Islam, unlike Catholicism which officially opposes contraception use and Buddhism which has no doctrine concerning contraception, approves the use of contraceptive methods. This approval is explicitly stated in several official pronouncements by leading theologians" (p. 16). Although this argument might be right for some Islamic societies, there still is strong disagreement about the use of contraceptive methods by many religious leaders :hi other Islamic societies. Gadalla, in his argument, mentioned that "Lorimer considers Islam a religion that gives strong and unequivocal emphasis to high fertility" (p. 17). Regarding the Islamic religion and fertility, Kirk (1967) argues that "It would seem that Moslem institutions, more than those of other world religions, favor a generally high natality. Religion and high natality are more closely correlated for Moslems than for any other major religious group" (p. 568). Kirk, in his study of fertility in Moslem countries, draws the following conclusions: 11 1. Islamic countries uniformly have high birth rates. 2. These are supported by distinctive Islamic attitudes and practices in family life rather than by political or religious doctrine. 3. The "normal" diffusion of birth control to and within Moslem countries on the European pattern has been inhibited by cultural discontinuity between Moslem peoples and their neighbors. 4. The continuing high birth rates in Moslem countries, matched with encouraging progress in reducing deaths, now lead to rapid population growth and its especially high visibility as a handicap to economic and social progress. 5. As a result, several Moslem countries have adopted measures to introduce birth control. Ahmad (1985), in his study of marital fertility in four Moslem populations, found the following: World fertility survey programs in four Moslem populations-~Bangladesh, Java, Jordan, and Pakistan--did not show a consistent pattern in rural-urban differentials in marital fertility. While no significant differential in current fertility by place of current residence is noticeable in Bangladesh and Pakistan, urban women in Jordan showed lower fertility than their rural counterparts. Cumulative fertility, when controlled for duration of marriage, was found to be higher in urban than in rural areas of Bangladesh and Pakistan, but no clear pattern emerged in Jordan. In Java, both current and cumulative fertility were higher in urban than in rural areas; urban women who have spent their childhood and were brought up in the urban environment showed, in most instances, higher fertility than the other residence groups. (p. 157) Nagi (1983) examined the fertility trend in thirty Moslem countries between 1960 and 1980. He found that: The 1980 crude birth rates for the 30 Moslem countries included in this study were much 12 higher than the non-Moslem countries in the same region of the world. The crude birth rates for the Moslem countries were also well above the regional average. Total fertility rates for each of the 30 Moslem countries was noticeably higher than those for non-Moslem countries in the same region, and substantially much higher than the world average of 3.8. The rates for those Moslem countries were even higher than the 4.4 average for the less developed countries. (p. 246) Table 1 shows the crude birth rates and total fertility rates in Moslem countries in 1960 and 1980. In order to examine how the length of exposure to different cultural and socioeconomic conditions affect fertility attitudes, Friedlander, Elsenbach and Goldscheider (1980) surveyed 800 female immigrants from Africa and Asia to Israel. They found that: The first comparison is between the number of children born to Asian and African women who married before immigration and the number born to those who married three to five years after immigration. Almost all women marrying before immigration had at least three children, while only 78 percent of those marrying after immigration had that number. For those marrying before immigration, 78, 58 and 46 percent had at least four, five and six children respectively. In contrast, the respective proportions for those marrying three to five years after immigration were 49, 29 and 18 percent. In short, these data document that Asian and African immigrants in third and subsequent parities experienced significant family size limitation effects of between 50 and 80 percent within a few years. (p. 584) Ford (1985), in her analysis of declining fertility rates of immigrants to the United States, found that: l. immigrants are a heterogeneous group with respect to fertility; 13 Table 1 Crude Birth Rates (CBR'S) and Total Fertility Rates (TFR's) in Islamic Countries for 1960-1980 Crude Birth rates Total Fertility Rates Country 1960 1980 % Change 1970 1980 % Change Algeria 50 46 -9.3 7.1 6.9 -2.8 Egypt 44 37 -15.9 6.1 4.9 -l9.6 Libya 49 45 -8.2 6.8 7.0 +2.9 Morocco 52 44 -lS.3 7.0 6.5 -7.0 Sudan 47 47 0.9 7.0 6.7 -4.3 Tunisia 49 35 -28.6 6.4 5.4 -lS.6 Guinea 47 46 -2.1 6.2 6.2 -0.0 Mali 50 50 -0.8 6.6 6.7 +1.5 Mauritania 51 50 -0.8 5.9 6.9 +16.9 Niger 52 52 -0.6 7.0 7.1 +1.4 Nigeria 52 50 -4.4 6.6 6.9 +4.5 Senegal 48 48 -0.2 6.1 6.5 +6.5 Somalia 47 46 -l.3 6.1 6.1 -0.0 Chad 45 44 -2.4 5.8 5.9 +1.7 Iraq 49 43 -9.1 7.1 6.6 -7.0 Jordan 47 44 -6.3 7.1 6.9 -2.8 Khwait 44 39 -ll.3 7.2 6.1 -15.2 Lebanon 43 30 -30.6 4.0 4.1 +2.5 Saudi Arabia 49 44 -ll.0 7.1 6.9 -2.8 Syria 47 45 -5.1 7.1 7.0 -l.4 Turkey 43 32 -24.5 5.9 4.4 -25.4 Yamen, North 50 47 -6.0 7.1 6.5 -8.5 Yamen, South 50 46 -8.5 7.1 6.7 -S.6 Afghanistan 50 47 -6.5 6.3 6.6 +4.8 Bangladesh 54 45 -l4.3 6.3 6.0 -4.8 Iran 46 41 -10.8 6.9 5.8 -15.9 Pakistan 51 44 -15.0 6.8 6.1 -10.2 Indonesia 46 35 -22.7 6.5 4.5 -30.7 Malaysia 45 31 -30.6 5.4 4.2 -22.2 Source: Nagi (1983) , fiends in Pbslen fertility and the application of the Demographic Transition Model, Social Biology 30, 3 (p. 248). ‘ 14 2. Mexican women have higher fertility than other groups; and 3. most groups, including Mexicans, experienced a decline in fertility from 1970 to 1980. In her discussion, she argues that "In terms of cumulative fertility immigrants have lower fertility than native Americans, but in current fertility, immigrants have higher fertility than native born Americans" (p. 68). She also concludes that "As with cumulative fertility, the Mexican immigrants have a much higher level than most other immigrants; only women from the Middle East approach this fertility level in 1980" (p. 69). Ford argued as to why this is the case by saying that "one reason for these different results may be because the experience of migrating to a new country may lead to a pattern of childbearing. Whether through spouse separation, later marriage, or postponement, foreign born women bear their children at older ages" (p. 69). Adebayo (1986), examining survey data of Nigerian students in the United States, found a clear relationship between fertility behavior and duration of stay in the United States. He argues that "the respondents' perception of children and duration of stay in the U.S. indicate that respondents who had been in the U.S. for less than 4 years attached more values to children than those who stayed more than 4 years" (p. 284). He concludes that "the findings indicate that 15 newly acquired fertility attitudes among the sample is a function of duration of stay in the United States" (p. 284). The relationship between international migration and fertility has been discussed by Nagi and Nigim (1983). They related age, education, socioeconomic status and country of origin to fertility. Nagi and Nigim stated that the possible approach to the relationship between international migration and fertility is on the micro level and concentrates on the fertility of the immigrants and the natives in the country of destination. Whether this particular differential exists depends upon the age and marital characteristics of the immigrants, whether the countries of origin and destination have similar patterns of fertility behavior, the amount of selectivity on fertility, education, and other socio-economic characteristics that exist, and the degree to which the immigrants are culturally and structurally assimilated into the receiving country. In turn this depends upon how long the immigrants have lived in the receiving country, whether the countries of origin and destination are substantially different socio-economically, and several other related factors. (p. 34) It has been observed that families in developing societies are larger than those in develOped societies. Dow and WErner (1981), for example, examined family size and family planning in Kenya. They found that "the great majority of women with 3—4 living children (71 percent) actively desired additional children. Taking all levels together, only 23 percent did not desire additional children" (p. 273). In addition, Rizk (1978) 16 conducted a survey in Jordan to investigate the fertility trends of 2618 women and their attitudes toward family size. He found that 46 percent of the respondents did not wish to have additional children, 2 percent did not know, and 52 percent wanted additional children. An Egyptian fertility study was carried out in 1980 to examine the attitudes, knowledge and practice of husbands and wives in 293 villages and urban areas. For the study, 10,079 husbands were interviewed. The summary report (1983) mentioned that: The overall desired family size is 4.1. Out of ten women, five desired to have 2 or 3 children, two desired to have four children, and three desired to have 5 or more children. The greater majority of women with two or more living children stated a preference for a larger number than the number they have, while the majority with 5 or more children stated a preference for a number below their current family size. Urban residents prefer a smaller family size than the village residents; the difference is as much as 1.6 children. (p. 16) In Turkey, Carpenter-Yaman (1982) interviewed 387 Turkish youths to examine their attitudes toward family size and family planning knowledge. He found that: The youths came from rather large families with a mean of 5.6 children, the desired family size of the females was 2.4 children, and of the males 3.3 children. Sixty-one percent of the females said that they wanted two children, and almost all wanted one boy and one girl. Their mates had greater response variation with a mode of three children, mainly attributable to the preference for two boys and one girl. (p. 156) l7 Gadalla (1978), in his study of fertility attitudes in three Egyptian villages, found that the vast majority--about 85 percent of the respondents—- idealize a family of three to four children. However, none felt it ideal to be childless or to have only one chihi. Gadalla also found that only 6 percent felt two children to be ideal, and less than 10 percent considered having five or more children. Concerning desired family size, Gadalla found that 74.8 percent of wives and 77.5 percent of husbands mentioned that they never thought about the number of children they desired. Chamie (1981), in his study of religion and fertility in Lebanon, mentioned that the respondents considered four children to be the ideal family size. In both studies respondents maintain a clear preference for sons. Fertility and Family Size in Saudi Arabia Extended family is the basis of Saudi society. It is composed of a couple, married sons, parents, and children. The household typically includes three generations. Recently, the preference in most urban areas in Saudi Arabia is for the nuclear family. Most Saudi families desire a large family. They believe that it enhances the reputation of their family and protects their kinship. In addition, it is desirable in Islam to have many children and a large family. Families prefer sons more than daughters. Nyrop (1984) argues that 18 "women's status depends ultimately on her success in producing sons for her husband's family; as a result, mothers tend to favor their sons." In a traditional society like Saudi Arabia, it is believed that a son can protect and support his family as long as he lives, but a daughter will soon leave the family for her husband's house. Family planning is generally not practiced in Saudi Arabia. Saudi families want children, and the more children, especially boys, the better the social status of the family. There have been few studies concerning fertility and family size which have been conducted in Saudi Arabia, and little is known about the fertility attitudes of the Saudi population. Sebai (1974) accomplished a part of a major study about knowledge, attitudes, and the practice of family planning. This study was conducted in the western part of Saudi Arabia in 1967. In this research, 314 households were selected and interviewed in three communities. Sebai found that most of the mothers in the three communities were indifferent in their answers about how many children they wanted to have. Sebai mentions that six children was the desired number among villagers. Males were preferred. In his study Sebai found that 23 percent of the respondents did not want any more children. The same percentage (23) said they wanted more children. 19 Thirty-one percent said "as God wishes." A major finding of this study is the.preference for boys. Husbands, in general, want more children because they are a symbol of wealth, strength and vitality. Sebai developed an interesting argument. He mentioned that the woman is usually thought to be responsible for infertility, but a man is considered responsible in rare cases. A woman's greatest desire in life is to have a child; she will be divorced if she does not produce a son for her husband. A survey conducted by the Central Department of Statistics in Saudi Arabia in 1977 resulted in similar findings. In discussing this survey, Looney (1985) argued that: One of the questions asked on the survey was how many children each married Saudi woman had borne in-her lifetime. Thirty-two percent of the women, fifteen years and over, had at least seven children in their lifetime. Only 12 percent had never had a child. Many of these childless women (37 percent) were under twenty. The survey also indicated that the average size of a completed family was 7.2. The woman/child ratio was 8 to 1, one of the highest in the world. (p. 100) Regarding the fertility rate in Saudi Arabia, Al-Obeidy (1985) argued that: High fertility is associated with low socioeconomic status. Thus families with high socioeconomic status are more likely to have fewer children than those with low socioeconomic status. Couples with high socioeconomic status are more likely to know about and use contraceptive methods. They are also more likely to break with traditions that enhance the large family pattern. (p. 43) 20 Information on fertility is difficult to obtain in Saudi Arabia. Levels of fertility are assumed to be high, especially since the bearing and rearing of children, particularly of male children, is accorded high social esteem. In addition, the nuptiality rates are extremely high, and it is considered desirable that girls should be married no later than 16 years of age (United Nations 1982). However, the fertility rate in Saudi Arabia was estimated to be 49.5 per thousand population for the period 1970-1975 (United Nations 1980). Table 2 shows a more recent (1984) estimate of the Saudi fertility rate. The total fertility rate is 7.7, which indicates the total number of children that would be born to a woman between the ages of 15 to 49. Family size in Saudi Arabia is estimated to be high. Tables 3 and 4 show that about 40 percent of the families in Saudi Arabia have a family size of 7 or more. 21 Table 2 Saudi Arabia: Age-Specific Fertility Rates, Total Fertility Rate, Crude Birth Rate and Sex Ratio at Birth, 1984 (National and Non-National) National Non-National Age-specific fertility rates: Age Group 15-19 141.8 65.3 20-24 375.3 236.9 25-29 378.5 247.0 30-34 310.0 178.2 35-39 223.0 123.5 40-44 103.3 34.3 45-49 14.1 10.3 Total fertility rate: 7.7 4.5 Crude birth rate (per thousand): 49.6 15.5 Sex ratio at birth: 106.0 106.0 Source: Demographic and related socio-economic data sheets, United Nations, ECWA. 22 Table 3 Saudi Arabia: Distribution of Households by Household Size, 1984 E Number of Number of Persons Household Size Households in Households l 107 102 107 102 2 158 294 316 588 3 173 101 519 303 4 209 055 836 220 5 202 738 l 013 690 6 172 178 1 033 068 7 141 836 992 852 8 121 559 972 472 9 98 712 888 408 10+ 274 558 3 694 886 Collective Households - 546 031 Total 1 659 133 10 920 620 Source: Demographic and related socio-economic data sheets, United Nations, ECWA. Table 4 Saudi Arabia: Percentage Distribution of Households by Household Size, 1984 Household Size Households Persons in Household l 6.5 1.0 2 9.5 2.9 3 10.4 4.7 4 12.6 7.7 5 12.2 9.3 6 10.4 9.5 7 8.5 9.1 8 7.3 8.9 9 6.0 8.1 10+ 16.6 33.8 Collective HOuseholds - 5.0 Total 100.0 100.0 Source: Demographic and related socio-economic data sheets, United Nations, ECWA. CHAPTER III RESEARCH PROCEDURE This survey study is an attempt to uncover Saudi students' perceptions of fertility and family size. The overall design of this project can be defined as a survey research with both descriptive and explanatory components. This chapter contains a discussion of the research design used to examine the fertility and family size attitudes of Saudi students in the United States. The research questions and hypotheses are presented first. Researchguestions and Hypotheses The following research questions and hypotheses are statements reflecting the overall objectives of the study. Research Question 1: Does a relationship exist between the fertility and family size attitudes of Saudi students and their religious backgrounds? Research Question 2: Is there any relationship between Saudi students' length of stay in the United States and their fertility and family size attitudes? Research Question 3: Do Saudi students in the United States feel that Saudi Arabia has yet to face population problems? 23 24 Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 1: The longer the duration of stay in the United States, the less positive the attitude toward fertility and large family size. Hypothesis 2: The more religious a person is, the more likely he prefers a large family size. Hypothesis 3: There is no relationship between age and attitude toward fertility and large family size. Survey Sample Taking into account time limitations, the population for this study was all Saudi students studying at Michigan State University in the city of East Lansing. The sample size of this study consisted of all 61 male Saudi students, undergraduate and graduate, enrolled at Michigan State University during the winter of 1988. A complete sampling list of all male Saudi students who enrolled in winter term 1988 was obtained from Michigan State University. All the students' names, addresses and telephone numbers were also obtained. The Survey Instrument For the purpose of this study, a survey research design was employed by developing a self-administered questionnaire to be distributed to the sample in order to gather research data. The questionnaire was constructed based on the review of related research 25 literature, including literature (H1 questionnaire construction and techniques. The data were collected during the winter term of 1988. The questionnaire contained 23 items. The first part of the questionnaire contained some demographic and general information about the students. This part was designed to collect data on the independent variables, including student age and duration of stay. The second part of the instrument (items 11-15) contained items about students' perceptions of fertility and family size, which included the dependent variable. In the third part of the questionnaire (items 16-19), students were asked about their perceptions of the present population of Saudi Arabia. The final part of the questionnaire (itens 20-23) measured the independent variable religiosity. The questionnaire was developed in the English language (Appendix A contains the questionnaire, the cover letter in English and Arabic, and the follow-up letter). Before the questionnaire was distributed, it was pretested by some students and some improvements were made in the language and structure of the questionnaire. Data Collection After the researcher obtained the approval letter from the University Committee for Research Involving 26 Human Subjects (UCRIHS) to conduct the study, the questionnaires were administered by mail. This was assumed to be adequate because all the items in the questionnaire were simple and easy to answer. In addition, a mail questionnaire preserves the anonymity of the respondents. A total of 61 questionnaires were distributed. There are some procedures which were followed to gain the most cooperation of the respondents. First, a cover letter (see Appendix A) was attached to the questionnaire to briefly explain the purpose of the study, to guarantee anonymity, and to state the voluntary nature of answering the questionnaire. Also, the respondent was asked to not write his name on the questionnaire. A stamped, addressed envelope was provided for returning the questionnaire. Instructions on how to fill out the questionnaire were provided on the questionnaire. Two weeks after the questionnaires were sent out, a follow-up letter was sent to all students to remind those who had not returned their questionnaire and to ask them for more cooperation, to express the importance of the study, and to thank those who had responded. In addition, another copy of the questionnaire with a stamped, addressed envelope was enclosed with the follow-up letter. 27 Dependent and Independent Variables The dependent and independent variables used in this study are discussed below. Dependent Variables The dependent variable for this study was the attitudes of Saudi students toward fertility and family size. Fertility and family size attitudes were measured by questions concerning family size, ideal and desired number of children, and perceptions of the present population of Saudi Arabia. Independent Variables The independent variables used in this study were: (1) duration of stay in the United States; (2) religiosity; and (3) age. Duration of stay in the United States is considered an independent variable in this study since its analysis makes it possible to explore the differentials of students' perceptions of fertility and family size taking into account the students' length of stay in the United States. Religiosity is a very important element determining perceptions of family size and fertility attitude formation. The demographic variable of age is also an important variable in a study that solicits family size attitudes. 28 Analysis of Data Of the 61 total questionnaires sent out, 54 (88.5 percent) were returned. The returned questionnaires were coded and processed for computer use. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSSPC+) was used to analyze the data. Both descriptive and statistical analysis techniques were used to test the hypotheses under investigation in this study. T-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to test the hypotheses. The t-test was used to test the hypothesis of no significant differences between students' age and attitude toward large family size and to test the significant differences between students' perceptions of large family size and religiosity. One-way analysis of variance was used to test the hypothesis of no significant differences between students' perception of large family size, and duration of stay and religiosity. Items 11, 14 and 15 of the questionnaire were used to measure the dependent variable, students' perception of family size. The first two questions in the questionnaire examined the independent variables age and duration of stay. To measure the third independent variable, religiosity, students were asked some questions (items 20-23) regarding the importance of religion and their performance of religious activities. CHAPTER IV FI NDINGS This chapter presents the analysis of the survey data which was collected by means of mailing a questionnaire to 61 male Saudi students. Responses from a total of 54 cases were used for analysis. The analysis and discussion of the data in this chapter is as follows: first, descriptive statistics including frequency distributions; second, some important cross-tabulations; and finally, testing the hypotheses by using t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Table 5 presents the respondents' age groups. This table has been collapsed in order to use the t-test. The table shows that the most frequent age group was 30 years old or less, with the majority of the respondents (63 percent) falling into this group, while the rest (37 percent) were more than 30 years old. Table 6 shows respondents' length of stay in the United States. This table has also been collapsed from five to three groups. Most of the respondents (40.7 percent) had been in the United States between 4 and 6 years; 27.8 percent of the respondents had been in the 29 30 Table 5 Frequency of respondents' age group Age Group Frequency Percentage 30 years or less 34 63.0 31 years or more 20 37.0 Total 54 100.0 Table 6 Frequency of respondents' duration of stay in the U.S. Duration of Stay Frequency Percentage 3 years of less 15 27.8 4 to 6 years 22 40.7 more than 6 years 17 31.5 .Total 54 100.0 U.S. for 3 years or less. Approximately one-third of the respondents had been in the United States for more than 6 years. Table 7 indicates the marital status of the respondents. The majority (72.2 percent) of the respondents were married, while only 27.8 percent of them were single. No one indicated that he had been married before. Eighty percent of the single respondents indicated that they intended to marry, whereas only 2 respondents said they did not intend to marry. 31 Table 7 Frequency of respondents' marital status Marital Status Frequency Percentage Married 39 72.2 Single 15 27.8 Total 54 100.0 Table 8 shows how many children single respondents intended to have. Most (41.7 percent) of the single respondents intended to have five children. The next largest group (25.0 percent) intended to have four children. Approximately 16 percent of the single respondents intended to have 9 to 10 children. The average number of children that single respondents intended to have was 5.6 children. This is nearly the same as the average of 6 children found by Sebai (1974) in his study in Saudi Arabia. Table 8 Number of children single respondents intended to have Number of Children Frequency Percentage 4 3 25.0 5 5 41.7 6 2 16.7 9 l 8.3 10 l 8.3 Total 12 100.0 Mean 2 5.6 32 Table 9 shows how long the respondents have been married. One-third of the respondents had been married for 3 to 6 years; the same number had been married for 6 to 9 years. Only 10 percent of the respondents had been married for more than 9 years, and 23.1 percent of the respondents had been married for 3 years or less. Table 9 Number of years respondents have been married Years Frequency Percentage l to 3 9 23.1 3 to 6 13 33.3 6 to 9 13 33.3 more than 9 years 4 10.3 Total 39 100.0 Table 10 indicates the number of children that the respondents had. A plurality (30.8 percent) of the respondents had only one child; 17.9 percent had no children; and about 15 percent had four children. Approximately 5 percent of the respondents had 5 or more children, while 30.7 percent of the respondents had two or three children. The majority of the married respondents (about 95 percent) indicated that they intend to have more children. Table 11 shows how many additional children the married respondents intended to have. Most of the married respondents (21.6 percent) intended to have four 33 Table 10 Married respondents' number of children Number of Children Frequency Percentage 0 7 17.9 1 12 30.8 2 7 17.9 3 5 12.8 4 6 15.4 5 l 2.6 6 1 2.6 Total 39 100.0 Mean - 1.9 Table 11 Number of additional children the married respondents intended to have Number of Children Frequency Percentage 0 l 2.7 2 8 21.6 3 7 18.9 4 6 15.4 5 8 21.6 6 4 10.8 7 l 2.7 8 l 2.7 9 l 2.7 10 2 5.4 12 2 5.4 2 miss'ng Total 39 100.0 more children. The same percentage of married respondents intended to have only two more children. About 19 percent of married respondents intended to have 34 more than 7 additional children. The highest number of additional children they intended to have was 12. Table 12 shows the respondents' desired number of children. Approximately 36 percent of the respondents desired four to five children. Most (about 36 percent) of the married respondents desired seven children or more. CMe respondent desired no children. The average number of children desired was 4.6. This finding for desired number of children is lower than Sebai's (1974) study in Saudi Arabia. Also the average number of children desired by married respondents is slightly less than the average number of children desired by single respondents, which was 5.6. Table 12 Number of children respondents desired to have* Number of Children Frequency Percentage 0 l 2.6 2 2 5.1 3 3 7.7 4 9 23.1 5 5 12.8 6 5 12.8 7 or more 14 35.9 Total 39 100.0 *Married respondents only Mean = 4.6 35 Table 13 shows the wives' desired number of children as indicated by their husbands. Most wives (42.1 percent) desired four children; about 37 percent of the wives desired more than six children. Ten percent of the respondents indicated that two to three was their wives' desired number of children. The average number of children desired by respondents' wives was 4.7, which is very close to the average number of children desired by the husbands. Table 13 Number of children respondents' wives desired to have Number of Children Frequency Percentage 0 l 2.6 2 3 7.9 3 l 2.6 4 16 42.1 5 3 7.9 6 4 10.5 7 or more 10 26.3 1 missing Total 39 100.0 Mean = 4.6 Table 14 shows the respondents' perceptions about whether the husband should decide the number of children his wife should have. Only 12.8 percent of the respondents thought that the husband should decide the number of children his wife should have. The majority (53.8 percent) thought that the husband should not 36 Table 14 Distribution of respondents' opinions as to whether the husband should decide how many children his wife should have* Response Frequency Percentage Yes 5 12.8 No 21 53.8 Uncertain 13 33.3 Total 39 100.0 *married respondents only decide the number of children his wife should have. This may indicate that the husband and the wife together should decide how many children they would like to have. Thirteen respondents (33.3 percent) were not certain about whether the husband should decide the number of children his wife should have. Table 15 illustrates the respondents' attitudes about the ideal number of children. The highest proportion (28.3 percent of the respondents) indicated that four children is the ideal number of children a family should have, while approximately a similar proportion of respondents (26.4 percent) thought the ideal number of children is seven or more. The ideal number of children for 12 (22.6 percent) respondents was five children, which is the average number of children of the sample. Only one respondent (1.9 percent) thought having no children is ideal, and only 4 (7.6 37 Table 15 Respondents' ideal number of children Number of Children Frequency Percentage 0 1 1.9 2 2 3.8 3 2 3.8 4 15 28.3 5 12 22.6 6 7 13.2 7 or more 14 26.4 1 missing Total 54 100.0 Mean 2 5.0 percent) of the respondents thought two or three children is the ideal number of children. Table 16 indicates the perceptions of the respondents concerning the number of children considered to be too many. Most (34 percent) of the respondents believed that there is no limit to the number of children considered to be too many. Those respondents hohd more positive attitudes toward fertility and large family size. This result may be because they are more religious than others. Cumulatively, seven to nine is the number of children considered to be too many by most of the sample. Only 3.8 percent of the respondents thought four children or less are too many. TabLe 17 shows the perceptions of the respondents regarding the present state of the Saudi population. Most of the respondents (72.2 percent) thought that the 38 Table 16 Number of children considered to be too many by respondents Number of Children Frequency Percentage l l 1.9 4 l 1.9 5 3 5.7 6 4 7.5 7 12 22.6 8 2 3.8 9 12 22.6 no limit 18 34.0 Total 54 100.0 Table 17 Respondents' perceptions of the present size of Saudi Arabia's population Perception Frequency Percentage Too many 1 1.9 Just enough 14 25.9 Not enough 39 72.2 Total 54 100.0 size of the present population of Saudi Arabia is not enough. cmly one respondent (1.9 percent) thought that there are too many people in Saudi Arabia. Fourteen (25.9 percent) respondents thought the size of the present population is just enough. This finding indicates that most of the respondents thought that the size of the present population in Saudi Arabia should be increased. 39 In Table 18, the respondents' perceptions about controlling the growth of Saudi Arabia's population are presented. The highest proportion of the respondents (72.2 percent) believed that there should be no control over population growth in Saudi Arabia. Most of the rest of the respondents (26 percent) thought that population growth should be controlled. This finding indicates that controlling the growth of Saudi Arabia's population is not appropriate at the time of the survey. Table 18 Respondents‘ perceptions about controlling population growth in Saudi Arabia Perception Frequency Percentage Yes 14 25.9 No 39 72.2 Uncertain 1 1.9 Total 54 100.0 Table 19 shows respondents' opinions regarding adoption of a population policy in Saudi Arabia. The perception of the majority (72.2 percent) of the respondents was that the government should not adopt any population policy to slow population growth in Saudi Arabia. Only 22.2 percent of the respondents believed that the government should adopt an explicit population policy to slow the growth of Saudi Arabia's population. Generally, it is clear from the respondents that Saudi 40 Table 19 Respondents' perceptions about adoption of a population policy in Saudi Arabia Opinion ‘fl Frequency Percentage Yes 12 22.2 No 39 72.2 Uncertain 3 5.6 Total 54 100.0 Arabia has not yet faced population problems and the present size of the pOpulation should be increased. Table 20 shows that the respondents' perceptions regarding the importance of the Islamic religion in their lives. This table has been collapsed and it includes items 20-21 from the questionnaire, which have the same rating value. They have been combined because they gave almost the same kind of data. These items also have been collapsed from three alternatives to two; alternative two is included in alternative one. The highest proportion of the respondents (68.5 percent) believed that religion is very important and has a strong influence on their lives. Only 31.5 percent of the respondents thought that religion is not important and that it has no influence on their lives. Table 21 shows that the respondents' performance of religious activities. The majority (about 51.9 percent) are more religious than others, whereas about 41 Table 20 Respondents' perceptions about the importance of religion Perception Frequency Percentage Very important 37 V 68.5 Not important 17 31.5 Total 54 100.0 Table 21 Respondents' performance of religious activities Number of Times Frequency Percentage 4 times or more per week 28 51.9 Once per week 14 25.9 Less than once per week 12 22.2 Total 54 100.0 26 percent of the respondents are moderately religious. Only 22.2 percent of the respondents were not performing religious activities according to Islamic teachings, which require every Moslem to perform certain religious activities daily, and religiously they are considered less than moderate. Table :22 depicts the relationship between respondents' age group and how many children they had. This table indicates that the older a person is, the more children he has. The chi-square is significant at .02 with Tau c = .57 and at .0008 level of significance. 42 Table 22 Respondents' age by number of children they. have now (in percentage) Number of children Respondent's 0 l 2 3 4 5 6 Age N87 N-lZ N27 N=5 N=6 N=l N=1 30 years old or less 85.7 75.0 42.86 40.0 100.0 31 years old or more 14.3 25.0 57.19 60.0 100.0 100 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 N = 39 Chi-square = 14.77; D.F. - 6; Significance = .02 Gamma = .67; Tau c a .57; Significance = .0008 Table 23 shows the relationship between respondents' ideal number of children and the importance of religion to them. The relationship between the two variables is positively strong with Gamma = .61 and Tau c = .44, which is significant at the .001 level. That is, the more religious a person is, the more likely he prefers a large family size. This is true with a chi-square of 13.24 and significance at the .039 level. In addition, a t-test, which is described later in this chapter, gave the same result regarding respondents' ideal number of children and the importance of religion to them. Table 24 shows the relationship between whether the husband should decide the number of children his 43 Table 23 The importance of religion by respondents' ideal number of children Number of children Importance of 0 2 3 4 5 6 7+ Religion N=1 N82 N815 N812 N=12 N=7 N=14 Very imporant 50.0 50.0 53.33 50.0 100.0 92.9 Not important 100.0 50.0 50.0 46.67 50.0 7.1 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 N = 53 Chi-square = 13.24; D.F. = 6; Significance = .039 Gamma = .61; Tau c a .44; Significance = .001 Table 24 Respondents' opinions regarding whether the husband should decide the number of children his wife should have by the importance of religion Husband decides Not important very important 4 of children N=10 N=29 Yes 10.0 13.79 No - . 90.0 41.38 Uncertain 44.83 Total 100 100 N = 39 Chi-square = 7.83; D.F. = 2; Significance = .019 Gamma = .6; Tau c = .28; Significance = .02 44 wife should have and the importance of religion to the respondent. From this table, we can see that there is a positive relationship between the two variables. That is, the more religious a person is, the more likely he decides the number of children his wife should have. Table 25 depicts the chi-square statistics for the perceptions about the present size of Saudi Arabia's population and perception of adopting a population policy in Saudi Arabia. There is a significant chi-square of perceptions regarding the present size of Saudi Arabia's population, and perceptions of adopting an explicit population policy at the .0001 level of significance. Also, the relationship between the two variables is strong, with Tau B = .403 and significance at .001. Table 25 Respondents' perceptions about the size of the present population by perception of adopting a population policy in Saudi Arabia Perception of , Yes No Uncertain Population Size N=12 N=39 N=3 Too many 8.33 Just enough 66.67 10.26 66.67 Not enough 25.0 89.74 33.33 Total 100 100 100 N = 54 Chi-square = 22.78; D.F. = 4; Significance = .0001 Gamma = .58; Tau B a .403; Significance = .001 45 Table 26 illustrates the relationship between respondents' perception regarding the present size of Saudi Arabia‘s population by the importance of religion. Respondents' who were more religious thought the present population was not enough. The relationship between religion and the present size of the Saudi population exists. So, the more religious the person, the greater his perception to increase the population size in Saudi Arabia. This is true with chi-square at the .05 level of significance. Table 26 Respondents' perceptions of the present size of Saudi Arabia's population by the importance of religion (in percent) Perception of Not important very important Population Size N=17 N=37 Too many 5.88 Just enough 41.18 19.0 Not enough 52.94 81.0 Total 100 100 N = 54 Chi-square = 5.68; D.F. = 2; Significance = .05 Gamma a .59; Tau C = .25; Significance = .01 The Hypothesis Tests In this part of the data analysis, the research hypotheses are tested. The dependent variable of this 46 study was attitude toward fertility and family size. The independent variables are age, duration of stay in the United States, and religiosity. The t-test is used in order to test the relationship between the independent variables, age and importance of religion to the respondent, and the dependent variables, ideal number of children, desired number of children, and number of children considered to be too many. One-way analysis of variance is used to test the relationship between the independent variables, duration of stay in the U.S. and the performance of religious activities, and the dependent variables, ideal number of children, desired number of children, and number of children considered to be too many. Hypothesis 1. Hypothesis 1 states that the longer the duration of stay in the U.S., the less positive attitude toward fertility and large family size. Table 27 shows that duration of stay in the United States was not found to differ significantly in their ratings to the respondents' perceptions regarding ideal number of children. The F-statistic suggested that there was no effect of duration of stay in the U.S. on perceptions about ideal number of children. As shown in Table 28, one-way analysis of variance showed no significant differences between the three groups. This indicates there was no effect of duration of stay in the U.S. and perception about desired number 47 Table 27 Summary table for one-way analysis of variance of ideal number of children according to duration of stay in the U.S. Duration of Stay N Mean S.D. F P 3 years or less 14 6.21 1.67 .405 .66 4 to 6 years 22 5.86 1.78 More than 6 years 17 6.3 1.21 Table 28 Summary table for one-way analysis of variance of desired number of children with duration of stay in the U.S.* Duration of Stay N Mean S.D. F P 3 years or less 9 6.11 1.83 .85 .43 4 to 6 years 17 5.82 2.12 More than 6 years 13 6.69 1.25 *married respondents only of children. There is no trend in the differences among the means, as shown in Tables 27 and 28. As shown in Table 29, students' duration of stay does not differ significantly in their ratings of perceptions regarding how many children were considered to be too many. In general, one-way analysis of variance shows that there was no effect of students' 48 duration of stay in the United States on fertility and preference of family size. Table 29 One-way analysis of variance for number of children considered to be too many with duration of stay in the U.S. Duration of Stay N Mean S.D. F P 3 years or less 14 8.57 2.06 .75 .47 4 to 6 years 22 7.77 2.24 More than 6 years 17 8.29 1.49 Hypothesis 2. The second hypothesis stated that the more religious a person is, the more likely he prefers a large family size. Table 30 displays the means, standard deviations, and t-values for perception of the importance of religion regarding respondents' perceptions about the ideal number of children. The t-test shows a statistically significance difference between students' perceptions about the importance of their religion to them and their ideal number of children. The t-value is significant at .001 in two-tail probability. Table 31 shows the means, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for perceptions about the importance of religion regarding respondents' desired number of children. The t-test suggested that there was 49 Table 30 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for respondents' perceptions about the importance of religion regarding ideal number of children Importance of religion N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P very important 36 6.55 1.40 .23 3.4 51 .001* not important 17 5.11 1.49 .36 *2-tail probability Table 31 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for importance of religionlregarding desired number of children Importance of religion N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P very important 29 6.44 1.57 .29 1.62 37 .05* not important 10 5.40 2.27 .70 1married respondents only *l-tail probability an effect of respondents' religiosity on desired number of children. The t-value is significant at the .05 level for l-tail probability. Also, Table 32 shows the mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for perceptions about the importance of religion regarding how many children were considered to be too many. The t-test for this result shows that respondents' level of religiosity was 50 Table 32 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for importance of religion regarding number of children considered to be too many Importance of religion N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P very important 36 8.64 1.65 .27 2.78 51 .008* not important 17 7.1 2.23 .54 *2-tail probability significant as a factor of perception regarding howtnany children were considered to be too many. The t-value is significant at .008 for two-tailed probability. As shown in Table 33, one—way analysis of variance shows a significant difference between the groups at the .006 level of significance. The three groups differed significantly from each other in their overall rating of the respondents performance of religious activities regarding their perceptions of ideal number of children (F = 5.62). Table 34 shows the one-way analysis of variance of desired number of children with respondents' level of religiosity. A significant differenoe was found in performing religious activities with regard to desired number of children for married respondents (F = 4.45). As displayed in Table 35, one-way analysis of variance shows a significant difference between the 51 Table 33 One-way analysis of variance for ideal number of children with performance of religious activities Perfommance of religious activities N Mean S.D. F P 4 times or more per week 27 6.67 1.41 5.62 .0063 once per week 14 5.92 1.26 less than once per week 12 5.00 1.70 Table 34 One-way analysis of variance for desired number of children with performance of religious activities* Performance of religious activities N Mean S.D. F P 4 times or more per week 21 6.52 1.53 4.45 .018 once per week 10 6.70 1.56 less than once per week 8 4.62 2.06 *married respondents only Table 35 One-way analysis of variance for perception about howrnany children were considered to be too many with performance of religious activities Performance of religious activities N Mean S.D. F P 4 times or more per week 27 8.85 1.56 5.60 .0064 once per week 14 8.00 1.75 less than once per week 12 6.75 2.37 52 three groups at the .006 level of significance. Respondents who do more religious activities seemed to be more positive regarding how many children were considered to be too many. Hypothesis 3. The third hypothesis stated that there is no relationship between age and attitude toward fertility and large family size. As indicated in Table 36, the t-test shows that there is no effect of age on perceptions of the respondents regarding ideal number of children. There is no significant difference between the two groups regarding the ideal number of children. Table 36 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for age group with ideal number of children Age group N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P 30 years old or less 33 6.06 1.51 .26 .20 51 .84 31 years old or more 20 6.15 1.69 .37 Table 37 shows the mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for respondents' age group with their desired number of children. The t-test suggested that there was no significant effect of age upon the desired number of children (t=l.03). 53 Table 37 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for age group with desired number of children* Age group N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P 30 years old or less 21 5.90 1.81 .39 1.03 37 .31 31 years old or more 18 6.50 1.79 .42 *married respondents only The data in Table 38 show that no significant difference exists between respondents' regarding their perceptions of how many children were considered to be too many. here was no relationship between a respondent's age and his perception about how many children were considered to be too many (t=.57). Table 38 age groups The t-test suggested that Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for age group with respondents' perceptions regarding how many children were considered to be too many Age group N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P 30 years old or less 33 8.03 1.92 .33 .57 51 .57 31 years old or more 20 8.35 2.08 .46 54 Table 39 shows the mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for married and single respondents regarding their perceptions of the ideal number of children. There is no significant difference between the two groups in terms of their perceptions of the ideal number of children (t=.85). Table 39 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for married, single respondents with their perceptions of ideal number of children Marital Status N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P Married 38 6.21 1.66 .27 .85 51 .39 Single 15 5.80 1.32 .34 Also, Table 40 shows no that significant difference exists between married and single respondents regarding their perception of the number of children considered to be too many. The t-value indicates no relationship between marital status and preference of family size. 55 Table 40 Mean, standard deviation, standard error, and t-value for respondents' marital status and their perception of howxnany children were considered too many Marital Status N Mean S.D. S.E. t-value D.F. P Married 38 8.21 2.09 .34 .35 51 .73 Single 15 8.0 1.7 .43 CHAPTER V SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, AND CONCLUSIONS The primary objective of this study was to examine the perceptions of Saudi students in the United States regarding fertility and family size. Specifically, this study was designed to investigate the determinants of fertility behavior, the relationship between fertility and social and demographic variables, and to highlight some factors affecting the fertility behavior of Saudi students at Michigan State University. To the best of the researcher's knowledge, this study is an initial exploratory study of Saudi students' attitudes toward fertility and family size which has never before been studied intensively. Chapter I was devoted to a brief introduction to the problem under investigation, the objectives of the study, definition of terms, and delimitations of the study. In Chapter II, literature related to the problem was reviewed. It included some literature related to fertility behavior, literature of fertility and family size in developing countries, and literature related to fertility and family size in Saudi Arabia. 56 57 The methodology used in collecting needed data for this study as well as data analysis were discussed in Chapter III. Furthermore, researCh questions and hypotheses were listed in Chapter III. The population and sample of this study were all male Saudi students at Michigan State University. A list of 61 male Saudi students, both undergraduate and graduate, enrolled at Michigan State University during the winter term of 1988 was obtained from Michigan State University. A 23-item questionnaire was developed by the researcher which addressed questions regarding perceptions of fertility and family size, and perceptions toward the present Saudi population. The data were collected by mailed questionnaire; 88 percent of the mailed questionnaires were returned. For interpreting the usable data (54 cases), several different types of analysis were used. Frequency distribution, cross-tabulation, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were used for descriptive statistics and for testing the hypotheses. In.Chapter IV, the data were analyzed and interpreted. The descriptive as well as inferential statistics needed in) test the hypotheses were presented in tables. 58 Major Findings The major findings of this study are summarized as follows: Influence of duration of stay on family size preference Based upon a one-way analysis of variance, no significant effect of duration of stay in the United States was found on any variable regarding fertility and family size. Respondents' perceptions of ideal number, desired number and number of children considered to be too many were not significantly different from each other. Influence of religiosity on familyisize preference By using t-test and one-way analysis of variance, it was found that the level of religiosity of the respondents significantly differed from each other. A t-test of difference indicated a significance difference of perceptions regarding the importance of the respondents' religion about attitude toward large family size. The levels of significance of the t-test were .001, .05, and .008 for family size variables. In terms of the differences between respondents' performance txf religious activities, regarding perceptions of ideal number of children, desired number of children, and number of children considered to be too Inany, one-way analysis (HE variance indicated a statistically significant difference between the three 59 groups at .006, .018, and .006 levels of significance. In general, respondents who were more religious were more likely to prefer large family size. Influence of age of perceptions about family size By using a t-test, it was found that there was no significant effect on age on perceptions regarding preference of family size. It might be found that because most of the respondents did not differ largely in their ages. Findings on frequency distributions regarding perceptions about the Saudi population Most of the respondents (72.2 percent) agreed that the present size of the Saudi population is not enough, whereas about 26 percent of the respondents thought that the present size of the Saudi population is just enough. Only about 2 percent of them thought the present population is too large. Again, most of the respondents disagreed about controlling the growth of the Saudi population (72.2 percent). HOwever, about 26 percent thought that population growth in Saudi Arabia should be controlled. Perceptions regarding adopting a population policy in Saudi Arabia revealed that 72.2 percent of the respondents opposed the idea; about 22 percent of the respondents were in favor of adopting an explicit population policy to slow the growth of the Saudi population. 60 Conclusions Based on the study findings, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. Respondents' perceptions of fertility and family size were strongly related to their level of religiosity. More religious respondents preferred large family size. 2. Frequency of overall perceptions regarding the ideal and desired number of children were not found to be related to respondents' age and duration of stay in the United States. 3. Most respondents preferred five children as an ideal and desired number of children. 4. Most of the respondents did not agree that the husband should decide the number of children his wife should have. 5. Respondents indicated that the size of the Saudi population is not enough and it should be increased. 6. Very few respondents (about 2 percent) indicated that the growth of the Saudi population should be controlled and that the government should adopt an explicit population policy to slow the population growth. 61 Suggestions for Further Study This study was considered an initial exploratory investigation. While it is considered successful in answering the major research concerns, it did leave some questions unanswered and raised some additional questions that need to be addressed. It should be noted that the findings of this study require further research in a large population to substantiate their accuracy. Other studies should be done in which more demographic and socioeconomic variables are added, such as rural and urban residence, income, and education. APPENDIX A Cover letter, follow-up letter, and questionnaire 62 FEBRUARY 5, 1988 DEAR SAUDI STUDENT AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: I AM A SAUDI STUDENT AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY,WORKING ON MY MASTERS THESIS. THE MOSH) QUESTIONNAIRE IS PART OF MY RESEARCH REGARDING SAUDI STUDENTS' A'I'I‘ITUDES WARD FAMILY SIZE. PLEASE ANSWER THE ITEMS IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE. ALL INFORMATION THAT Yw SHARE WITH ME WILL BE USED FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. YCXJR ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY ARE GUARANTEED, SO DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND FEEL FREE TO ANSWER HONESTLY. IN ADDITION, YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS SURVEY IS VOLUNTARY. you MAY ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE AT ALL OR NOT TO ANSWER CERTAIN QUESTIONS. Ya] MY INDICATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE BY COMPLETIM; AND RETURNIM; 'IHIS SURVEY. THE SUCIZESS OF THIS RESEARCH DEPENDS UPON YOUR HONEST RESPONSES. PLEASE RE‘IURN 'IHIS QUESTIONNAIRE IN THE SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED ENVELOPE PROVIDED . THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION. SINCERELY , ABDULLAH AL-SAID P.O. BOX 6232 E.LANSING,MI 48826 63 P'FH' ”...-pr." ...—l" r—np ... 4.5..” ...:LJHuJJlL—a,’ r-LVLJrL—J‘ 1 s—Jt—h-J‘ 95—0—4 Mtg—HO. 2...; .-,L.....:._..l.=u..-.L_..fi at,.._..._....u . w: ......» H‘N‘hJ—h—J‘WL—D L-e—Jlo- Chan—u 5.41. o JP-u" 11.4.... .__.!,._n..i_.JL..S‘1,.S.;.L..L_—.J._si_.uu_tqara_zi . ooL-fi—-‘1‘J'——:'u-J——.-V"3-a‘-—- q’L—aa-fi wL-fl‘oLan—MoMLLA| ISL—.....ufiw... CALL—‘19)) . 1.1.51.1 4,11 01.51.31 «...—.31., «Lew—3 mama—Amuw—nuf—A ,u—wa ~—J\—-;L_. ...n—n o— 4.— 5.44qu o—u ...-1.: - a—$~~°—-‘vu——‘u-5 . (Le—JJJ-Ja—J‘c ULp—e‘; .0 “—31—“ LJ 54-3—3 ‘2-5L—4 ...—tum a,_-.I ...-......“ W‘é—q—aai—mw P.O.m 6232 '.E.Im1n¢,ll1 l+8826 61+ ,___3,_.JI 0.3—4. z...),:....t_.. v.5 as”! r“ .._._.., «41.4".94—9'3—8-1: Apex—4' '. s—JLJ-J' 9.3—.2—4 ...—...“: , "W—L'o— ’J—e-J oL—oL—Jwe-L—j o‘:d—-— d-i-J 41,.“ .ughap‘weu W1.) Lei-«61“; J—J‘: . ..o,__.‘1| 1.3.4.. ...»...JuLSM PLEA—..Jquiwlvsrw . mun—‘1‘ 41...,1,..,:_.m_.,1___ q’L—Pur-S' #‘oMoHM11pHJHw... ~-.-IL-l---“.,.--'-‘ . ...—1......) ..w 01.515! 4.1.41, (IL-92A "mum—‘1'‘.+—I--—.'..u-«JI-J'oa—i-‘l‘Inf—él pL-a—i-"q-i ~—J\—-.-L—. «At—u o— «— sax—2...: ...—u ”—0.4 - Awe—3: tr—m‘w‘6 - cL-e—JJJ-Jp—H‘v “Lo—9‘; .9 ‘L-Ffi—v—J “—1 54-3—3 ‘2-5L—-= ....JLLJI u,_a d'A—n 3.5.41 «...-“4.4114"... P . 0. NI 6232 E. lensing, HI l+8826 65 INSTRUCTIONS : PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BY PLACING AN [ X ] NEXT TO THE ANSWER WHICH BEST EXPRESSES YOUR ATTITUDE. 1. HOW OLD WERE YOU ON YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY? [ ] UNDER 20 YEARS OLD [ 1 20 To 25 YEARS OLD [ ] 26 TO 30 YEARS OLD [ 1 31 To 35 YEARS OLD [ ] 36 TO 40 YEARS OLD [ 1 OVER 40 YEARS OLD. 2. SINCE YOU FIRST ARRIVED,HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES? [ 1 LESS THAN ONE YEAR [ 1 1 YEAR OR MORE BUT LESS THAN 3 YEARS [ 1 3 YEARS OR MORE BUT LESS THAN 6 YEARS [ 1 6 YEARS OR MORE BUT LESS THAN 9 YEARS [ ] MORE THAN 9 YEARS. 3. ARE YOU CURRENTLY MARRIED? [ ] YES (GO DIRECTLY TO QUESTION 7) [ 1 N0 4. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN MARRIED? [ ] YES (GO DIRECTLY TO QUESTION 14) [ ] N0 66 5. DO YOU INTEND TO MARRY? [ ] YES —— [ ] NO (GO DIRECTLY TO QUESTION 14) 6. HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU INTEND TO HAVE? (INDICATE NUMBER OF CHILDREN) (GO DIRCTLY TO QUESTION 14) 7. HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN MARRIED? [ ] LESS THAN ONE YEAR [ 1 1 YEAR OR MORE BUT LESS THAN 3 YEARS [ 1 3 YEARS OR MORE BUT LESS THAN 6 YEARS [ ] 6 YEARS OR MORE BUT LESS THAN 9 YEARS [ ] MORE THAN 9 YEARS. 8. HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE NOW? [ ] NO CHILDREN [ ] ONE CHILD [ ] TWO CHILDREN [ ] THREE CHILDREN [ ] FOUR CHILDREN [ ] FIVE CHILDREN [ ] SIX CHILDREN [ ] SEVEN CHILDREN OR MORE. 9. DO YOU INTEND TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN THAN YOU HAVE NOW? [ ] YES [ ] NO (GO DIRECTLY TO QUESTION 11) 67 10. HOW MANY MORE CHILDREN DO YOU INTEND TO HAVE? (INDICATE NUMBER OF CHILDREN) 11. IF YOU COULD HAVE EXACTLY THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN YOU DESIRE,WHAT NUMBER WOULD THAT BE? [ ] NO CHILDREN [ 1 ONE CHILD [ ] Two CHILDREN [ 1 THREE CHILDREN [ ] FOUR CHILDREN [ 1 FIVE CHILDREN [ 1 SIx CHILDREN [ 1 SEVEN CHILDREN OR MORE. 12. IF YOUR WIFE COULD HAVE EXACTLY THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN SHE DESIRES,WHAT NUMBER WOULD THAT BE? [ 1 NO CHILDREN [ ] ONE CHILD [ ] Two CHILDREN [ 1 THREE CHILDREN [ ] FOUR CHILDREN [ 1 FIVE CHILDREN [ 1 SIx CHILDREN [ 1 SEVEN CHILDREN OR MORE. 13. SHOULD THE HUSBAND DECIDE THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN HIS NIEE SHOULD HAVE? [ ] YES [ 1 NO [ ] UNCERTAIN. 68 14. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE IDEAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN A COUPLE IN SAUDI ARABIA SHOULD HAVE? [ ] NO CHILDREN [ ] ONE CHILD [ ] TWO CHILDREN [ ] THREE CHILDREN [ ] FOUR CHILDREN [ ] FIVE CHILDREN [ ] SIX CHILDREN [ ] SEVEN CHILDREN OR MORE. 15. HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE TOO MANY? [ ] ONE CHILD [ ] TWO CHILDREN [ ] THREE CHILDREN [ ] FOUR CHILDREN [ ] FIVE CHILDREN [ ] SIX CHILDREN [ ] SEVEN CHILDREN [ ] EIGHT CHILDREN [ ] NINE CHILDREN OR MORE [ 1 NO LIMIT. 16. SHOULD SAUDI PARENTS HAVE AS MANY CHILDREN AS THEY LIKE? [ ] YES [ 1 N0 [ ] UNCERTAIN. 69 17. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE PRESENT POPULATION OF SAUDI ARABIA? [ ] TOO MANY [ ] JUST ENOUGH [ 1 NOT ENOUGH. 18.DO YOU THINK THAT THE RATE OF POPULATION GROWTH IN SAUDI ARABIA NEEDS To BE CONTROLLED? [ 1 YES [ 1 N0 [ ] UNCERTAIN. 19. DO YOU THINK THAT SAUDI GOVERNMENT SHOULD ADOPT AN EXPLICIT POPULATION POLICY TO SLOW POPULATION GROWTH? [ 1 YES [ l N0 [ ] UNCERTAIN. 20. COMPARED TO OTHER FORCES IN YOUR LIFE,HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR RELIGION TO YOU? [ ] VERY IMPORTANT [ ] FAIRLY IMPORTANT [ ] NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL. 21. THINKING ABOUT BELIEFS IN OTHER AREAS(LIKE POLITICAL,EDUCATIONAL, AND SOCIAL ISSUES)DO YOU FIND THAT YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS HAVE : [ ] STRONG INFLUENCE IN SUCH AREAS [ ] LITTLE INFLUENCE IN SUCH AREAS [ ] NO INFLUENCE AT ALL. 70 22. HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU PERFORM PRAYER IN THE MOSQUE? [ ] MORE THAN FIVE TIMES A WEEK [ ] BETWEEN 2 AND 4 TIMES AWEEK [ ] ONCE A WEEK [ ] LESS THAN ONCE A WEEK. 23. EXCLUDING RECITATION OF QUARA'N IN PRAYERS,DO YOU READ QUARA'N: [ ] 3 OR MORE TIMES A WEEK [ ] TWICE A WEEK [ ] ONCE A WEEK [ ] LESS THAN ONCE A WEEK. THIS IS THE END OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE. THANK YOU, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR COOPERATION. B IBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Abdou Issa, Mahmoud. 1980 Modernization and the Fertility Transition. Egypt. 1975. POpulation Studies Canter. University Of Pennsylvania. Adebayo, Akin. 1986 Shifting fertility attitudes Of Nigerian students by duration Of stay in the United States. Sociology and Social Research 70,4: 284-285. 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