Influence of Gender Attitudes on Fertility Aspiration of Adolescents and Young Men in Three Sub-Saharan African Countries

Temilolu N Bamiwuye, International Food Policy Research Institute, Abuja
Amos O. Oyedokun, Obafemi Awolowo University

This paper examined the influence of gender attitudes on the fertility aspiration of adolescents and young men in selected sub-Saharan African countries. Data for the study were derived from most recent DHS surveys of a weighted sample of adolescents and young men (15-24 years) in Nigeria (6,266), Uganda (2,238) and Rwanda (2,280). The percentage respondents who did not approve wife beating under any circumstance was 28.3% for Nigeria, 51.34% for Uganda and 22.9% for Rwanda. The mean ideal number of children for the sample in Nigeria was 6.9 while Uganda is 4.8 and Rwanda was 2.3. The IRRs showed that gender attitudes such as wife-beating attitudes and decision-making significantly predict the fertility aspiration of adolescents and young men in the selected countries. Certain adolescents and young men’s socio-demographic characteristics were also significantly associated with fertility aspiration in the countries.