The Struggle Against Ignorance: John Blacking Remembered

In: Journal of comparative family studies, Band 22, Heft 3, S. 269-272

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between fertility and mode of mate selection in Urban Nigeria. Data for the study were derived from a 1987/88 survey of nine cities in the North, South-east and Southwest of Nigeria. Ever married women, aged 15 to 49 years, in selected households were interviewed. In addition to information on socio-economic characteristics, respondents also provided information on modes of mate selection, on perceptions of roles within marriage, on desired and achieved family sizes, and on childrearing practices. Distributions of women. by mode of mate selection (family or selt) and socioeconomic variables show that women in family arranged unions marry much earlier (and hence have longer duration of exposure to childbearing oriented sexual relations), have lower levels of education before marriage, marry much older men and are less disposed to the use of contraception. With respect to fertility, our results show that the fertility of women in family arranged unions is generally higher than that of women in self arranged unions. In order to understand more adequately how mode of mate selection relates to fertility, regression models, in which three sets of test variables were controlled, were estimated. Separate estimates were obtained for women aged 15 to 24 years, 25 to 34 years and 35 years and above, respectively. The results show that the difference in fertility between the two groups of women is statistically significant and that the difference is attributable mainly to differences in prenuptial levels of education and in duration of marriage. The findings reinforce - the call for improved education of women and programs of public education that encourage higher ages at marriage.