Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Choice of Yoruba Women in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

While some social and health comes have improved significantly for women, significant gaps remain in the achievement of reproductive health rights and women’s choice. Women are still constrained by social, legal, religious and cultural impediments and family power dynamics from acting on their desires. The objective of this paper therefore is to examine the reproductive rights and choice of women entrepreneurs in South Western Nigeria Ibadan. The study adopts Rational Choice Theory and Gender role theory as theoretical guide. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data generation were employed. One Hundred and Twenty questionnaires were distributed to women with ten years marital experiences. The distribution of hundred and twenty questionnaires to women respondents was obtained through snowball method. Only In-depth interview conducted among 24women through purposive sampling techniques was employed to generate qualitative data. Quantitative information was analysed through simple percentage and frequency distribution. Findings from the study revealed that women’s reproductive decision-making processes are greatly influenced by their partners ranging from their age at first marriage, their access to family planning and abortion., which also given by the women as challenges on their reproductive rights in Sango, Ibadan.