Fertility, sexual abstinence and contraception among the Yoruba of Western Nigeria : a study of selected rural communities in Ekiti and Ibadan divisions

Abstract

The survey described in this thesis was carried out in Ekiti and Ibadan Divisions of Western Nigeria from December 1974 to June 1975. The study was confined to all Yoruba women, 15-69 years of age living in the nine villages selected in the two Divisions. At the end of the fieldwork, 619 and 588 interviews had been completed in Ekiti Rural and Ibadan Rural villages respectively. The interviews which covered the basic socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the women, sought detailed information about the practice and duration of post-partum abstinence and ascertained levels of knowledge and use at any time of all methods of contraception, both traditional and modern. Those who had practised some form of fertility control by employing methods other than sexual abstinence were subjected to an in-depth interview. The interview centered around the unusual circumstances which led to the acceptance of contraception while the majority of women were not contracepting. The findings of the study revealed that fertility was high in both Ekiti Rural and Ibadan Rural; and that the fertility of these rural areas exceeded that of Ibadan City in 1973; and slightly higher than that which has been previously recorded for any rural area in Western Nigeria (Yoruba area). The study also showed that the traditional system of sexual abstinence was the main method of fertility control widely known and practised in the rural areas. And that contraception was employed by a small proportion of the women primarily to replace sexual abstinence rather than to limit family size. It was also evidently clear that the road to widespread contraceptive usage lies solely in extended education and accessibility to contraceptive supplies. The hospitals and friends were to a very large extent the most influential sources of family planning information and advice. Show more