Suchergebnisse

SummarySome recent data are presented on the size and selected sociodemographic characteristics of the Afghan refugee population in Pakistan. Although the official figures show that there were 3·27 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan, it is estimated that the actual number may be as high as 3·6 million. There is an excess of females over males, mainly due to war-related activities and excessive casualties particularly among males. While infant and childhood mortality rates are declining and are lower than the levels prevalent in Pakistan, as well as in Afghanistan during the prewar period, the fertility levels among Afghan refugees seem very high indeed.

SummaryThis paper describes the origins and size of the Muslim population in Australia, at present about 1% of the total population. Their age distribution is younger and their sociodemographic characteristics are different from those of the rest of the Australian population.

SummaryThis paper examines the results of the 1971 Population Growth Survey in Pakistan and attempts to reassess the fertility and infant mortality levels utilizing some unpublished data on children ever born and proportion surviving. These adjusted fertility and infant mortality rates show that there has been hardly any decline in the fertility and infant mortality levels in Pakistan during the decade ending in 1971.

SummaryThis paper examines the current use of contraception among a sample of 6646 married women of reproductive age interviewed during 1972–73 in metropolitan and country areas of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The analysis shows that contraception is widely practised in all segments of the population, though to a lesser extent among the Catholic women and those born is southern Europe. In conjunction with now easily available induced abortion, this has resulted in a precipitous drop in the annual number of marital births.

In Pakistan, like many other developing countries of the
world, age distributions availabe from the decennial population censuses
and sample surveys have shown substantial distortions and irregularities
[2; 3; 4; 6, pp.64-75; 9, pp.638-658; 13; 14, pp.64-95]. Some of
these distortions could be real and may have been the result of events
such as the Bengal famine of 1943 and the post-Independence migration
between India and Pakistan. Others could be due to the coverage and
response problems encountered in the collection of age data. Among the
coverage and response problems, two are of most importance:
underenumeration of females and erroneous age-reporting. In countries
like Pakistan, which have low literacy rates (19.2 per cent literates
according to the 1961 Census of Pakistan), most of the people do not
know their correct ages. As a result they tend to report their ages
either in round numbers or instead ask the enumerators to write down
whatever age they think proper. This pheno¬menon of reporting ages in
round numbers is usually called "digital pre¬ference". As a result of
this the single-year age distributions show distinct peaks and troughs
at ages ending with certain digits.

SummaryThe purpose of this paper is to review the patterns of contraceptive use in Australia, using data from a nationally representative sample of 5872 women aged 18 to 49. This survey was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2001 as part of the National Health Survey. Results of the analysis indicate that the oral contraceptive pill and condom were the two most frequently used methods. More than 76% of the respondents reported having ever used the pill. Over 23% of women were currently using condoms; of these 80% of the condom users used them for contraception – this included 36% who used condoms for both protection against infection and for contraception – and the remainder used them only for protection. Withdrawal was the third most popular non-surgical method up to age 40. Few women used IUDs, injections or diaphragms. Just over 3% of the respondents were using natural methods with the highest rate reported among those in their 30s. The 'morning-after pill' was reported mostly by women aged 18–24; however, there was no evidence to suggest that it was being used as a primary method of birth control. Contraceptive use declined in older women who turned to sterilization for themselves and/or their partners. Use of the contraceptive pill was somewhat higher among better-educated women, but lower among less-educated women and those from non-English-speaking backgrounds.

SummaryA demographic survey among a probability sample of 980 married migrant women was carried out in Sydney in 1988. The sample included 507 Lebanese, 250 Turkish and 223 Vietnamese women. The study revealed differences in family formation patterns within and between the three groups and between them and the general population. Family size had declined among all three groups compared with their family of origin, and it was clear that the younger women would not achieve the same family sizes as the older women. Migrant women tended to marry earlier than the general population and to start their families earlier. While they showed a strong preference for their children to marry within their own ethnic and religious group, nearly one-third said it was up to the choice of the individual. Overall, the future family size of younger migrant women is expected to converge towards the Australian norm. Migrant families are in a state of transition between two cultures which needs to be recognised by health and family planning service providers.

SummaryOfficial statistics on abortion in South Australia for the period 1971–86 are analysed in terms of incidence, age of patients and nuptiality, reasons for abortion, method of termination, period of gestation, previous abortions and concurrent sterilisation. Demographic implications are discussed and recommendations are made for more education and counselling, especially for younger and unmarried women for whom the incidence of abortion seems to be rising.

SummarySurveys carried out in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1963 and 1980 showed that most women have some knowledge of contraception. The proportion who had ever used contraception rose from 7% of respondents in 1963 to 48% in 1980. The rate of current use in 1980 was 34%. Highest rates of use were found among women aged 30 years or older and among those of higher education and socioeconomic status. The most commonly used methods of family planning were the condom, the pill and abstinence.