Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T21:38:24.820Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

IDEAL VERSUS ACTUAL: THE CONTRADICTION IN NUMBER OF CHILDREN BORN TO NIGERIAN WOMEN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2010

LATIFAT IBISOMI ,
STEPHEN GYIMAH ,
KANYIVA MUINDI  and
JONES ADJEI
LATIFAT IBISOMI
Affiliation:
Africa-Re Center, Nairobi, Kenya
STEPHEN GYIMAH
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Queens University, Canada
KANYIVA MUINDI
Affiliation:
African Population and Health Research Center, Kenya
JONES ADJEI
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Queens University, Canada
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Although desired family size is often different from actual family size, the dynamics of this difference are not well understood. This paper examines the patterns and determinants of the difference between desired and actual number of children (unmet fertility desires) among women aged 15–49 years using pooled data from the 1990, 1999 and 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHSs). The results show that more than two-thirds of the sample have unmet fertility desires (18.1% have more while 52.4% have fewer than desired). It was found that early and late childbearing increased the odds of unmet fertility desires. Also, women with low levels of education, from poor households, rural residents as well as those who had experienced child death were at a higher risk of unmet fertility desires in the multivariate context. The study highlights the policy and programme implications of the findings.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , March 2011 , pp. 233 - 245
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) (2002) Population and Health Dynamics in Nairobi's Informal Settlements. APHRC.Google Scholar
Anyara, E. L. & Hinde, A. (2006) Fertility Transition in Kenya: A Regional Analysis of the Proximate Determinants. Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, Applications and Policy Working Papers, A06/03, 2006. http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/38110/Google Scholar
Bankole, A. & Feyisetan, B. J. (2002) Fertility transition in Nigeria: trends and prospects. Paper prepared for Expert Group Meeting on Completing the Fertility TransitionUN Population Division, New York. UN/POP/CFT/2002/CP/14: 506-528. URL: www.un.org/esa/population/publications/completingfertility/RevisedBANKOLEpaper.PDF (accessed 28th February 2008).Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (1990) The measurement of wanted fertility. Population and Development Review 16(3), 487–506.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (1998) Fertility and Reproductive Preferences in Post-Transitional Societies. Policy Research Division Working Paper No. 114, Population Council, New York. URL: www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/wp/114.pdfGoogle Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (2001) Fertility and reproductive preferences in post-transitional societies. In Bulatao, R. A. & Casterline, J. B. (eds) Global Fertility Transition. Population Council, New York, pp. 260–281.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (2002) The end of the fertility transition in the developed world. Population and Development Review 24, 419–443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeRose, L. F., Dodoo, F. N. A. & Patil, V. (2002) Fertility desires and perceptions of power in reproductive conflict in Ghana. Gender and Society 16, 53–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeRose, L. F. (2003) Marriage, Lineage, Relative Spousal Power and Fertility Decline in Ghana. URL: http://paa2004.princeton.edu/download.asp?submittedId=40838.Google Scholar
Goldstein, J. R., Lutz, W. & Testa, M. R. (2003) The emergence of sub-replacement family size ideals in Europe. Population Research and Policy Review 22, 479–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gyimah, S. O. & Rajulton, F. (2003) The physiological effects of infant death on fertility: a comparative analysis of DHS data from Ghana and Kenya. Social Biology 49(1–2), 44–57.Google Scholar
Gyimah, S. O. & Rajulton, F. (2004) Intentional replacement of dead children in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from Ghana and Kenya. Canadian Studies in Population 34(1), 33–53.Google Scholar
Gyimah, S. O., Takyi, B. K. & Tenkorang, E. (2008) Denominational affiliation and fertility behavior in an African context: an examination of couple data from Ghana. Journal of Biosocial Science 40(3), 445–458.Google Scholar
Hagewen, K. J. & Morgan, S. P. (2005) Intended and ideal family size in the United States, 1970–2002. Population and Development Review 31(3), 507–527.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ibisomi, L. D. G. (2007) Analysis of fertility dynamics in Nigeria: exploration into fertility preference implementation. PhD thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.Google Scholar
Knodel, J. & Prachuabmoh, V. (1973) Desired family size in Thailand: are the responses meaningful? Demography 10(4), 619–632.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lightbourne, R. E. (1985) Individual preferences and fertility behaviour. In Cleland, J. & Hobcraft, J. (eds) Reproductive Change in Developing Countries: Insights from the World Fertility Survey. Oxford University Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Macro International (2009) MeasureDHS. Statcompiler. URL: www.measuredhs.comGoogle Scholar
Makinwa-Adebusoye, P. (2001) Sociocultural factors affecting fertility in sub-sahara Africa. In Workshop on Prospects for Fertility Decline in High Fertility Countries, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Secretariat, New York, 9–11th July 2001. UN/POP/PFD/2001/12.Google Scholar
Monnier, A. (1989) Fertility intentions and actual behaviour. A longitudinal study: 1974, 1976, 1979. Population: An English Selection 44(1), 237–259.Google Scholar
Morgan, S. P., Stash, S., Smith, H. L. & Mason, K. O. (2002) Muslim and non-Muslim differences in female autonomy and fertility: evidence from four Asian countries. Population and Development Review 28, 515–537.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Population Commission (2000) Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 1999. National Population Commission and ORC/Macro, Calverton, MD.Google Scholar
National Population Commission (2004) Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2003. National Population Commission and ORC/Macro, Calverton, MD.Google Scholar
Oheneba-Sakyi, Y. & Takyi, B. K. (1997) Effects of couples' characteristics on contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa: the Ghanaian example. Journal of Biosocial Science 29, 33–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pritchett, L. H. (1994) Desired fertility and the impact of population policies. Population and Development Review 20, 1–55.Google Scholar
Population Reference Bureau (2010) 2010 World Population Data Sheet. URL: http://www.prb.org/pdf10/10wpds_eng.pdfGoogle Scholar
Roy, T. K., Sinha, K., Koenig, M., Mohanty, S. M. & Patel, S. K. (2008) Consistency and predictive ability of fertility preference indicators: longitudinal evidence from rural India. International Family Planning Perspectives 34(3), 138–145.Google Scholar
Schoen, R., Astone, N. M., Kim, Y. J., Nathanson, C. A. & Jason, M. (1999) Do fertility intentions affect fertility behavior? Journal of Marriage and Family 61(3), 790–799.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomson, E. (1997) Couple childbearing desires, intentions and births. Demography 34(3), 343–354.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomson, E., McDonald, E. & Bumpass, L. L. (1990) Fertility desires and fertility: hers, his and theirs. Demography 27(4), 579–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Westoff, C. F. (1990) Reproductive intentions and fertility rates. International Family Planning Perspective 16(3), 84–89, 96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Westoff, C. F., Goldman, N. & Moreno, L. (1988) Peru Experimental Survey Results, Demographic And Health Survey. Institute for Resource Development, Columbia, MD.Google Scholar