In 13 focus group discussions with women and three groups with men, investigators explored the subjective meaning of quality of life for women and its relationship to family planning and lower fertility. Discussions also focused on women's household, economic and community roles to determine the extent to which women and men associate participation in development activities with quality of life.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's successful family planning program has led to greater contraceptive prevalence among women, increasing from less than 10 percent in 1980 to 48 percent in 1994, with a decline in the total fertility rate from 6.5 in 1984 to an estimated 4.3 in 1994. Research documents the positive consequences of lower fertility on the health of women and children, suggesting that contraceptive use is one means to achieve a more satisfactory life. However, little is known about the cultural meanings of quality of life among women in Zimbabwe and how women perceive the effects of family planning on the quality of their lives.

Research Findings

In 13 focus group discussions with women and three groups with men, investigators explored the subjective meaning of quality of life for women and its relationship to family planning and lower fertility. Discussions also focused on women's household, economic and community roles to determine the extent to which women and men associate participation in development activities with quality of life. Researchers drew focus group participants from urban areas, communal agricultural areas, and commercial farms in the Mashonaland East province. Findings include:

• Both women and men have clear concepts of quality of life for women, emphasizing contentment, household harmony, marital cooperation, and women's performance of their roles as wives and mothers. Women's and men's views of the elements of quality of life are similar.

• Focus group participants, both men and women, agreed that joint decision-making by couples on all aspects of family life, including family planning, is essential for women's quality of life and for the life of the family as a whole.

• Women and men regarded family planning as an essential component of quality of life, because it leads to improved physical and psychological well-being and higher social and economic status.

• For women, the benefits of family planning also include having more time to care for the family and more money to pay for children's education.

• Data suggest that, in general, men are supportive of their wives' use of contraception to space pregnancies. Impediments to family planning, the women said, are more likely to be found in the delivery system itself. Cost and limited contraceptive choices reduce the accessibility of contraception for many couples.

• Focus group participants saw increased time for domestic duties as desirable because meeting women's practical needs as wives and mothers confers on women self-esteem and a sense of control.

• Although few women were formally employed, both women and men expressed approval of income-generation activities for women because, by supplementing family income, they are able to enhance the quality of the family's life. Women said they believe family planning could lead to greater earning power but complained that capital for income-generation activities is often not available.

• Both women and men advocated greater participation by women in community and political life, believing it contributes to family stability and community development. Women indicated that they would like more opportunities for political leadership, and men said that women in politics could speak out for the needs of all women.

Recommendations

In Zimbabwe, the Women's Studies Project (WSP) conducted four projects designed to explore the relationship between family planning use and women's participation in the development process. Findings suggest that the two main deterrents to women taking a more active part in development are (1) women's and men's beliefs that quality of life for women rests on their ability to excel as wives and mothers and (2) lack of opportunities for women to express their leadership capacity in economic and political domains. The researchers recommend that:

• Women may limit their vision and goals to traditional reproductive roles because they lack social and economic mobility outside the home. Women with smaller families need skills-building programs to prepare them to compete equally with men in the job market and the political arena. Government policies to promote gender equity need to be monitored and enforced.

• Women have strong ideas on how family planning could be made acceptable and accessible to more women. They recommended that contraceptive services be affordable and that health programs offer a variety of methods. Providers and policy-makers should take these suggestions into account to promote greater access to family planning.

Study Details

Dr. Jane Mutambirwa, a social anthropologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Zimbabwe, was the Principal Investigator for this study. Her assistants were Ms. Verna Utete of the Harare Polytechnic Institute and Ms. Patricia Maramba and Dr. Chris Mutambirwa of the University of Zimbabwe. Dr. Priscilla Ulin of Family Health International provided technical assistance. Findings reported here come from a preliminary analysis of the data. Additional analyses will be posted on FHI's web site as they become available. The research was supported by the Women's Studies Project of Family Health International, through a Cooperative Agreement funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development with field support provided by the USAID Mission in Zimbabwe.