Women’s Bargaining over Reproductive Health: Evidence from Farm Households in Southwest, Nigeria.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/tnhj.v24i2.821Keywords:
fertility, married women, rural, Southwest, Nigeria, age, decision-makingAbstract
Background: The central component to the achievement of reproductive well-being is the decision-making power of women regarding reproductive health when it comes to the issue of fertility. Building on the intra-household bargaining framework, this study investigates women’s bargaining power over reproductive health decisions on fertility behavior.
Method: Using a multistage sampling procedure, the study sample was restricted to 248 married couples with women aged 15-49 years who expressed numerical desires for number of children. Spouses were interviewed separately, and individually. Women’s bargaining power regarding reproductive health and rights was measured using principal component analysis. Fertility behavior was captured by excess fertility. The logit regression model was used to capture the effects of women’s bargaining power over reproductive health on excess fertility.
Result: It was found that women desired fewer number of children than the actual number of children that they would have. The mean score of women’s bargaining power over reproductive health was 0.33. Women who reside in rural communities have a low level of bargaining power over their reproductive health. Women who married at a young age are more likely to have excess fertility than their older counterparts.
Conclusion: Women with high participation in reproductive health decision-making are more likely to desire a smaller number of children than their actual children. The development of national policies and programs aimed at substantially decreasing the fertility rate in Nigeria should focus on increasing women’s decision-making power over reproductive health and rights.
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