PART 2

CHAPTER III

SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND FAMILY FORMATION

2.3.1.   Attitudes towards Sexuality and Gender-related Issues

The great majority of women involved in this survey (78%) expressed an opinion that a woman should be a virgin when she marries (Figure 2.3.1.), but the man is allowed to have sex before the marriage (71%). The majority of women (94%) disapprove of sexual relationships outside the marriage both for women (91%) and men (81%).

The majority of women  (58%) recognized the right to decide on abortion at any time if the pregnancy is unwanted (Figure 2.3.2.). However, a significant proportion of respondents had an opinion that a woman does not have a right for abortion in the following circumstances:

  • if husband objects to it (41%)

  • if her decision is related to the lack of income (34%)

  • if the pregnancy is dangerous for her life (21%)

  • if the pregnancy is dangerous for her health (23%)

  • if the fetus has physical deformity (21%)

  • if the pregnancy resulted from rape (21%).

About one half of the respondents (50%) had an opinion that care of children is women's work only, and 25% were disagree that it is all right for a woman not to have children if she does not want to. In fact, the common view was expressed by about 82% of participants that there is a need for sex education of children in schools (Table 2.3.1.).

2.3.2. First Sexual Experience, Number of Sex Partners and Marriage Pattern

According to the survey results, about 44% of women had their first sexual intercourse and were first time married in their adolescence (Figure 2.3.3.). The reported age at the first sexual intercourse and the first marriage was about 20 years, on the average.

Most women (83%) mentioned that during the last two years they regularly have had sexual intercourse  (determined as at least 4 times per month). However, 189 women (13.5%) had irregular sexual relationships and 8 (0.6%) were not sexually active during this time-interval (Figure 2.3.4.).

The great majority of women (96%) reported that they had only one sexual partner during their life span  (Mean=1.1+-0.19) and about 4% reported two partners (Figure 2.3.5.).

2.3.3. Family Size Preferences and the Actual Number of Children

Table 2.3.2. and Figure 2.3.6. compares proportions of women according to their ideal, desired, actual family size and current intention to have children. Almost all women (99.5%) considered as an ideal family size having at least two children and 97% desired this number at the time of their first marriage. By the time of this survey-interview 8% of the women were childless and 19% have had only one child. Most of the respondents (66%) had no intention to have children.

The great majority of survey respondents and their spouses considered as an ideal to have from two to three children. Male partners preferred to have more boys than girls: they considered as an ideal 2.1 boys and 1.6 girls (Figure 2.3.7.).

Figure 2.3.8. and Table 2.3.3. demonstrates trends for the future childbearing. More than 66% of women didn't want to have further children. About 6% of women were pregnant or supposed that pregnant by the time of this survey-interview, and about 26% of women wanted to have children in the future.

2.3.4. Determinants of Family Size

In total, 1030 women did not want to have children anymore or were not sure whether they would like to have them in the future. The most important reasons for their decision to stop further childbearing are described in the Table 2.3.4. The first two and most important determining reasons for stopping future childbearing are insufficient family income (47%) and completed family formation (46%). The third reason is inadequate housing conditions (13%) and the fourth is poor health (12%).