Family size preferences of spouses in rural Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

A single demographic inquiry was taken in August and September 1974 in 16 randomly selected Ngwa Igbo villages in the East Central State of Nigeria. A total of 1672 currently married women of all ages were interviewed on matters relating to marriage past and current fertility cultural practices associated with child-bearing family size preferences and practices and attitudes toward birth limitation. Supplementary questions on attitudes toward marriage population growth preferences for sons and birth limitations were asked of 213 purposively selected husbands. The reported mean ideal number of children is 6.8 for all women but the husbands prefer at least 2 more children than their wives. This is highest family size preferences among the pronatalist developing countries. The preferences of spouses tend to be biased upwards if their children or other persons outside the nuclear family are present during the interview. Even when the sociocultural variables of education and duration of marriage are considered the preferences are still high. However the results make it clear that irrespective of age over 9 children would be considered too many or undesirable while 3 children or less would be considered too small or undesirable. The ideas of the Ngwa Igbo wives about what constitutes an undesirable family size is largely a consequence of their very high fertility. Also it is found that Ngwa Igbo women are very reluctant to cease childbearing even when they have reached the end of their reproductive age. This is partly due to the high incidence of child mortality. It is found however that some women would accept a moderate family size of 4-6 children. It is concluded that to motivate a moderate family size it is necessary to reduce the incidence of infant and child mortality and have action programmes to motivate women to want a moderate family size of 4 5 or 6 children.