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The present paper is part of a larger analysis of data collected in the summer of 1970 in the city of Cairo. In Cairo, a conclusion is reached. On the average, a small family norm evidently exists. The number of children considered ideal by wives lay between two and four. About 91 % of wives expressed an ideal of two, three, or four children. Wives over 45 years of age were considered as having completed childbearing. For those under 45 years old, expected completed family size is defined as the actual number of children ever born plus the number expected by the end of the wife's childbearing period. Socio-economic status has been considered of prime importance in studies of differential fertility. Some economists and demographers emphasize economic factors in determining fertility and treat fertility entirely within the framework of economic theory. They intentionally ignore social and psychological factors. On the other hand, some sociologists take the other extreme view and emphasize social factors such as religion, farm background, education, social mobility, and the like. Women's status as an indicator of modernization is measured by their exposure to the world of modern ideas. Status is indicated by whether the husband permits his wife to do certain things, namely, leaving the home by herself, working in an economically gainful occupation outside home, accompanying her husband to the movies or other social events, spending a summer vacation with the family on a beach.