APPRAISAL OF ILLITERATE MOTHERS PERCEPTION ON BIRTH CONTROL
ABSTRACT
This study was undertaken to find out the attitude of illiterate mothers in Onitsha North L.G.A toward birth control. This project tries to find out why these illiterate
mothers neglect birth control thus produce as many children as possible even to their own detriment. To make this study successful, questionnaires were used to collect the necessary data. In answering the question, the data collected and information gathered were analysed using the sample percentages. The result revealed that they produce many children because they have no idea of the existence of an organized instruction on birth control, some didn’t like the idea of birth control and some their husband didn’t like to practice birth control. On the basis of these findings some recommendations were made on how to motivate people to accept and practice birth control.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY The Oxford dictionary defines birth control as the reduction of population to a manageable level and rate for the
world, country, state, and even for a family. It could equally be said or defined to be a method that a married couple
adopts in order to regulate the number of child bearing. This implies that couples should understand the importance
of having only as many children as they can be able to care for.
But in Nigeria this concept of birth control is greatly neglected. Most people do not even understand the meaning
of the concept (Birth control) and that is why Nigeria in facing the threat of over population now. Nsugbe is a town in
Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State. Most mother in Nsugbe especially the illiterates ones are
also ignorant of the fact that birth control does not mean that one should stop producing children but that one should
plan to control the birth naturally and artificially in order to produce only as many children as one can care for.
This town was among the first towns that accommodated and welcomed the missionaries and they have great
belief toward the church of God. Some of them are active Christians and obey the word of God. Because of this they
will tell you that birth control involves disobedience to the command of God to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish
the earth” (Genesis chapter 1 verse 28) and that if God send them children, he will always provide for them.
Today however, the economic realities of modern living have dampened the biblical injunction of increase and
multiply. In most parts of the world today, there is an established link between population and means of sustaining it
and that is why the Imo State Commissioner for Health, Mrs. Bridget Nwankwo had in Owerri on 24thApril 1985,
expressed concern over the increasing birth rate in the country as being very alarming and stated that if birth rate is
not checked, the nation would experience a new wave of population explosion along with all the educational and
social ills that go with it. It is almost a universal rule that parent have a primary duty to maintain their children. In the
great majority of cases, the care and upbringing of a child belongs to its biological parents automatically without
regard to their qualification or suitability but in (Nsugbe) most children are being denied of adequate education, food,
clothing and shelter because the parents produced so many children that they cannot provide all – these – things for
them. As a result they find it extremely difficult to train their children adequately.
Sometimes, the head of the family (father) dies of hypertension due to worry and too much thinking about the family.
Glass (1972) argues that Nigeria is one of the ten countries included in a major international study of population
problem. The draft report has been prepared by population report international and the population of Nigeria is
estimated at 160 million, no problem needs more urgent solution than how to control population growth. It demands
the attention of all nations east and west, large and small, developed and developing world which Nigeria is one,
population growth consumes much of their economy, condemning people to continuing poverty. One can easily see
that too rapid population growth hinder a nation’s ability to progress and to satisfy the growing demands of its people
for a better life. Also over population could also be that some men still believe that the number of children in the family
indicates manliness and wealth with the result that in some monogamous families one can find up to ten children born
by one woman in order to minimize these problems, there is the need for birth control, too much children in the home may also result for the search of a male child in the home.
APPRAISAL OF ILLITERATE MOTHERS PERCEPTION ON BIRTH CONTROL