Fertility Intentions Among High-Parity Women in Nigeria: How Satisfying Are Four Living Children?

Abstract

The efforts at reducing Nigerian rapid population growth are anchored in strategies to achieve fertility decline. These approaches have yielded negligible impact as fertility preference remains high among most Nigerian women of reproductive age who are still giving birth to more than an average of four children previously recommended by a national policy. Studies have focused on fertility preference among various groups of childbearing women, but knowledge of the issue among high-parity women needs to be further explored. Employing chi-square and binary logistic regression for analyses, the data on women who had at least four living children were extracted from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2018 NDHS)to examine the associated factors of fertility intentions. The results indicate significant relationships of fertility intentions with women’s current age, region of residence, level of education, and husband’s desire for more children. Other predictors of fertility intentions are ideal number of children, children ever born, and number of living children. The study concludes that having four children is not compatible with the desired level of fertility for women due to the influence of the identified predictors. The study recommends proper advocacy on socially and economically desirable fertility levels for women.