The data indicate that in modern Kenya the economic strains arising from larger numbers of surviving children with-in in the family are clearly and acutely felt by the rural respondents. Nevertheless, transition to a smaller family system is impeded by lack of information or by misinformation about the means to achieve control over fertility by those who might wish to do so. In the absence of widespread knowledge of safe and reliable contraceptives, ideals of family size, on the average, tend to remain near the average levels of achieved fertility. While there is a substantial minority of women who express a desire for a smaller number ofchildren than they will, in all probability, have, their ideals tend not to be followed up by action to achieve their goal. Accurate knowledge of and access to the possibility of more safe and reliable techniques of contraception are clearly necessary, although possibly not sufficient, conditions for any alteration in family size in Kenya. © 1968 Population Association of America.
