%0 Journal Article
%T Beyond denomination: The relationship between religion and family planning in rural Malawi
%A Sara Yeatman
%A Jenny Trinitapoli
%J Demographic Research
%D 2008
%I Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
%X Despite the centrality of religion and fertility to life in rural Africa, the relationship between the two remains poorly understood. The study presented here uses unique integrated individual- and congregational-level data from rural Malawi to examine religious influences on contraceptive use. In this religiously diverse population, we find evidence that the particular characteristics of a congregation-leader's positive attitudes toward family planning and discussion of sexual morality, which do not fall along broad denominational lines-are more relevant than denominational categories for predicting women's contraceptive use. We further find evidence for a relationship between religious socialization and contraceptive behavior.
%U http://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol19/55/