Gender Preference; the Harbinger for Fertility Reduction in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study specifically examined the impact of sex preference on family size in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria using survey design. The study argued that the people in the area of study, in the course of looking for either male or female child, raise
large families because of their preferences for specific sex. The study adopted empowerment theory to explicate the nexus between preferences for specific sex vis-a-vis large family size and concluded that women’s empowerment in household bargaining power and the preference for specific sex is an important determinant of fertility choice among couples in the study area. The study, therefore, recommended that social security for the aged should be of top priority because number of the high fertility size result from the belief that it will secure the future especially when old.