Date of Award

4-2020

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Dr. Gregory Veeck

Second Advisor

Dr. Kathleen Baker

Third Advisor

Dr. Adam Mathews

Keywords

Family size, fertility rate, socio-economic, population growth, economic development

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

The goal of this research is to identify factors impacting changes in family size for medium-size cities in Saudi Arabia. Since the initial comprehensive development plans were adopted in the 1970s, Saudi society has changed rapidly in many different ways, and demographic change is one of the most noticeable. This mixed methods research is based on an online survey conducted in the summer of 2019 of 560 married couples and their families living within the 29 neighborhoods of Buraydah City, Saudi Arabia. Specifically, this research examines socioeconomic and demographic conditions related to family planning, as well as collecting perspectives on contemporary issues such as the environment and the future economy of Saudi Arabia to determine if views on these subjects are also related to family planning practices. Results indicate that fertility rates in Buraydah City are slightly higher than larger cities in Saudi Arabia such as Riyadh and Jeddah. Levels of education, income, and housing play major roles in the change in fertility rates. In contrast to previous studies, women's employment doesn't have an impact on the fertility rate.

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