Ajiir Doofan Agnes
Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna
Email: ajiirdoofan11@gmail.com
Abstract
The socio-economic development of a family is a matter of great importance not only for the welfare and health of the individual, family and community but also for the country as a whole. This paper examines the effects of the high birth rate on the socio-economic development of the people in the Chikun Local Government Area. The study also examines how factors like culture, illiteracy, health, and religion etc. influence people’s attitudes toward reducing the number of births. The research found out that culturally, having more children is viewed as indicative of one‘s social status, without minding the economic consequences. In terms of religion, both Muslims and Christians believe that having more children is the will of God. Also, the respect for a spouse is another factor that contributes to high birth rate, as the man is seen as the head of the family and he alone makes the decision. This research was carried out using both primary and secondary sources. Keywords: Birthrate, development, social, economic and Chikun Local Government Area
Introduction
One important challenge that hampers social and economic developments in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State is the high birth rate at which people bear children beyond the economic means to care for them. In Nigeria and Africa in general, many communities and societies have developed a culture of bearing many children to expand their family size. This is always considered a thing of pride, given the enormous power granted to African men within the institution of marriage, especially in terms of sex and reproduction. A wife could easily be viewed as undermining her husband‘s authority as the head of the family by broaching the issue of family planning with him. The Hausa society in the northern part of Nigeria is a particular society with strong male influence on many household decisions including those of reproduction.
A husband‘s influence in decision-making concerning fertility is profound among different ethnic groups; this is accentuated in the northern part of the country where culture forbids women from making any major decision about fertility without the