Burundi

Burundi, in central Africa, has a population of 8.4 million (2007), of which 93 percent live in rural areas. It has a birth rate of 42.2 per 1,000, and an [Page 151]infant mortality rate of 63.1 per 1,000 live births. The nation's fertility rate is 6.4 births per woman (2008), which is the seventh highest in the world. The maternal mortality rate at 1 per 100 births is also one of the highest in the world. The employment-to-population ratio for women age 15 and over was 83.5 in 2005. The law provides for 12 weeks of maternity leave paid at 50 percent of salary.

As of 2007, abortion was legally available only to save the mother's life or to preserve her mental or physical health. It is widely believed that there are high rates of death due to illegal abortions. Just over 15 percent of women age 15–49 use contraception, with 10 percent of those as modern methods.

In traditional society, houses in Burundi were constructed around the lifestyles of the people. The anthropologist Anne Stanford was able to point out the symbolism in their design and their connections to the female reproductive process. During the period of German colonial rule (1899–1924) and then Belgian rule (1924–59), life in the villages in Burundi (as in neighboring Rwanda) did not change significantly, and the colonial powers spent little on developing civil infrastructure in the countryside. After independence in 1962, attempts were made to help improve the life of villagers, and the hospital services in Bujumbura, the capital, were enlarged and modernized. Midwifery services were also provided in many towns and villages. However, inter-tribal strife between the Hutu and Tutsi flared up regularly; 100,000 Hutus were killed after an abortive coup attempt in 1972, and another 20,000 Hutus were killed in 1988.