| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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compared with other countries in the region, such as Jordan (3%) and Turkey (10%; PRB, 2001). Greater proportions of women in Yemen want higher education for their daughters (63.0%) and approve of their daughters working outside the home (73.5%). Approximately 62.0% of Yemeni women approve of family planning, compared with 53.4% of Yemeni men who approve of it. Despite this greater proportion, 60.4% of women reported never having used any contraceptives. In the neighboring countries of Jordan and Turkey the percentages of married women aged 15 through 49 who do not use contraceptives are 46.0% and 36.0%, respectively. Approximately 37.0% of Yemeni women reported currently breastfeeding, and 30.4% reported having had at least one miscarriage or abortion (PRB, 2008). The average age at marriage is lower in Yemen compared with other countries in the region. Thus, the social, economic, and demographic characteristics of its residents are lower compared with the populations of neighboring countries, such as Jordan or Turkey.
In this research, we use data from Yemen Demographic and Health Surveys. The Republic of Yemen had two national surveys conducted: in 1991–1992 and 1997. The 1997 Yemen Demographic and Health Survey (YDHS) is the second national survey conducted in Yemen since unification of the country. The 1997 YDHS was designed to collect data on households and women who had ever married that were of reproductive age (15–49 years). This survey interviewed 10,414 of the 11,158 eligible women who had ever married in the age group (CSO & MI, 1998). The survey conducted during 1991–1992 interviewed 5,687 eligible women (CSO, Pan Arab Project for Child Development, & MI, 1994). The subjects covered in the household survey include characteristics of households, housing and living conditions, school enrollment, labor force participation, general mortality, disability, fertility, and child survival. The areas