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Information on perception of family planning and reactions to it in a Kwahu matrilineage in Ghana is based upon 3 6-month periods of fieldwork. The attempt is made to relate both perception and practice of birth control to some structural aspects of conjugal and sexual behavior in the lineage concerned. The population of this survey is 2 main sections of 1 matrilineage consisting of about 75 living adults 60 of whom are either women in their childbearing years or mean younger than 65. Due to a wide geographical dispersion only 38 of the 60 were interviewed along with 4 people closely related to the lineage by paternal descent or affinity. On the basis of the interviews it appears that perception of family planning and subsequent reaction to it is associated to a very specific conjugal situation in the lineage. The low status and instability of customary marriage the high incidence of premarital and extramarital relations and the matrifocal quality of most sexual unions have contributed to the following: 1) irreversible methods of birth control will be difficult to accept; 2) birth control is essentially practiced outside of marriage and consequently associated with secretive practices; and 3) the practice of birth control will essentially depend on the decision of the woman. The practice of birth control is an entirely new phenomenon in the lineage and still basically limited to the younger generation. Ghanas present family planning effort remains unaware that a sizable group in need of contraceptives are in no position to identify with their promoted image of a small planned nuclear family. Additionally it is unreasonable of the program to deny contraception to those individuals who are unmarried. (AUTHORS MODIFIED)
Coale et al. (Sun,) studied this question.