Influence of sex composition of surviving children on childbearing intention among high fertility married women in stable union in Northwestern, Nigeria

Abstract

Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially goals one (end all forms of poverty), three (ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), four (ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all) and five (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) might be a mirage without conscious efforts on the part of many developing countries to reduce population growth. Rapid population growth due to a high fertility rate and fertility desire may engender strife, poverty, unemployment, competition for scarce resources.The study explored the influence of sex composition of living children on childbearing intention among high fertility married women in stable union. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study and the study population were married women with high fertility in stable union. Results showed that sex composition of surviving children were significantly associated with respondents’ fertility intentions. The following were the predictors of fertility intentions; sex composition of surviving children, type of family, contraceptive use, child parity, women empowerment status and others. Sex composition of surviving children was significantly associated with the fertility intentions of the high fertility married women in stable union.