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The limits of acceptable family size in Western Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Helen Ware
Helen Ware
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
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Summary

The data in this paper are drawn from interviews with a stratified probability sample of 2996 Yoruba men and women aged 17 or above living in Lagos and Western States in June–July 1973. Although drawing upon other material from the 1 ½-hour interviews the discussion concentrates upon the family size ideals of these individuals. In addition to the customary measures of ideal family size, new measures of the limits of acceptable family size are described, together with the reactions of the whole sample to a wide range of statements relating to family size and the value of children. It is shown that the smallest family which would be acceptable to any appreciable proportion of the population is four children, which would be acceptable to 18% of all respondents. Comparative data from elsewhere in the developing world are presented to show that African family size ideals are amongst the highest in the world. Age, educational and occupational differentials in perceptions of different family sizes are also discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , July 1975 , pp. 273 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

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