| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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as well as the economic and social conditions of Yemeni society (Singh & Samara, 1996). Because reproductive life most often begins with marriage, an early age at marriage, as in many developing societies, signals the early initiation of reproductive life and a longer duration of reproductive years that begin immediately after marriage.
The use of contraceptives is another important factor in understanding how and why Yemeni women control their fertility. Although the Yemeni government lacks an explicit population policy, policymakers and government officials firmly believe that rapid population growth is a hindrance to the country's social and economic development. They support the use of contraception and encourage family planning to improve maternal and child health.
In its efforts to provide better access to and knowledge about contraceptives, the government established the Yemeni Family Care Association in 1996. This agency provides prenatal services to pregnant women, including information on child nutrition and immunization. The number of centers around the nation increased more than threefold in the early 1990s, from 75 in 1991 to 235 in 1995 (Eltigani, 2001a). In addition, family planning services are generally offered through the Ministry of Public Health and various pharmacies throughout the country. Despite these efforts, contraceptive use is still not common in Yemen, yet improvements in this direction are encouraging given the brief period since the country's unification. Indeed, the prevalence of contraceptive use among married women doubled in less than a decade, from 10% in 1991–1992 to 21% in 1997.
Of the three determinants of fertility—reproductive health, contraception, and abortion—abortion has been the least discussed. In some countries, abortion is considered the preferred method of fertility control. The 2004 ICPD bolstered discussions