Abstract: One of the effects of modernisation on societies of the developing world is the patterning of marriage after the "Western" style and the increasing nucleation of the family (Caldwell 1977). Hence the development (in urban centres and in some rural areas) of the small family comprising the couple and their children with the occasional housemaid or relation. The implication of this development is the fact that fertility decisions are increasingly being made by the couple alone and for this reason conjugal relationships are likely to play a more important role in deciding which direction fertility should move.