Male fertility attitudes: A neglected dimension in Nigerian fertility research

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Abstract
This paper examines the fertility attitudes of a sample of 202 male Nigerian students studying in the United States. Specifically, three dimensions were investigated: (1) perceptions of population problems in Nigeria; (2) attitudes toward family planning, divorce, and male children; and (3) attitudes toward family size. Findings indicate that: (1) In general, this sample does not believe there is a population problem in Nigeria, and rapid population growth is not a cause of poverty, poor health, or unemployment; (2) the majority of respondents agree that a government population policy should be adopted, but does not agree with government interference in the number of children a couple desires; (3) family planning information and services should be made available to men, but women should not practice family planning without the consent of their husbands; (4) duration of stay in the United States is inversely correlated with the number of children considered too many; and, (5) the number of male children is an extremely important variable in regard to additional children desired. Very little research has been conducted exclusively on male fertility attitudes in Nigeria, whereas those on women are numerous. Policies based on female fertility research do not appear to be solving the problem of rapid population growth in Nigeria and other African nations. The thrust of this paper, therefore, is to redress the unbalanced orientation in the study of fertility by securing information from men. Implications of the findings, recommendations, and future research issues are discussed.

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