Female Autonomy, Family Decision Making, and Demographic Behavior in Africa (studies in African Economic and Social Development)

Drawing on original research in the Ghana Female Autonomy Micro Study, Ohenefa-Sakyi (sociology, State U. of New York-Potsdam) identifies and analyzes the many links between reproduction, women's status, and the family. He frames research questions, measures, and analyses in terms of women's many roles in the African family as well as their roles in political, legal, and economic spheres of life. He considers a broad range of factors because change on one level such as level of formal education does not necessarily mean change on another such as legal protection for child custody. He also incorporates the behavior of men, which is often disregarded as a factor of reproduction. The text is double spaced. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)