ABSTRACTS
The study is aimed at investigating family planning among women and it’s impact on the education of children in lhiala l.g.a of anambra state The study Analyze the educational attainment of children in families with varying family sizes and family planning practices, Investigate the relationship between birth spacing due to family planning and children’s academic performance and overall educational well-being. Investigate whether the level of education of women influences their decisions regarding family planning, and how this, in turn, affects their children’s education and Find out the level of awareness of women of childbearing age towards family planning. In view of these, four research questions were formulated. This study was a descriptive research of survey type. 160 respondents were selected for the study simple random sampling technique was used to select three villages in Ihaila Local govermnet area of Anambra State A well structured questionnaire was used for data collection and the data were analyzed using percentage, mean rating and standard deviation. The study revealed that Families with smaller family sizes may have a greater ability to allocate resources such as funds for educational expenses, extracurricular activities, and educational support (tutoring, books, etc.), which can positively affect a child’s education. Birth order within a family can impact educational attainment of children. Parents in smaller families may have more time and energy to be actively involved in their children’s education Educated women often have smaller family sizes due to delayed childbearing and planned pregnancies. Women with higher education levels may be more likely to actively engage in their children’s education. The study recommended that Every couple should be encouraged to visit the family planning service providers for enlightenment on various family planning choices that will meet their needs. Family planning drugs and accessories should be subsidized or possibly given free to couples who have shown interest to adopt the programmes.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
Family planning can have a significant impact on children’s education and overall well-being. Family planning allows parents to better manage their finances. When parents have fewer children or space them out, they can allocate more resources to each child’s education. This includes funds for school fees, books, extracurricular activities, and other educational expenses. Having fewer children or well-spaced children can also mean that parents have more time to spend with each child. This quality time can include helping with homework, engaging in educational activities, and providing emotional support, all of which can positively impact a child’s education. With fewer children to support, parents may be able to invest more in their children’s extracurricular activities, such as music lessons, sports, or educational trips. This can broaden a child’s experiences and educational opportunities. Family planning can ensure that parents can provide proper nutrition and healthcare to their children. Good health is essential for effective learning, and children who are well-nourished and healthy tend to perform better in school.
Despite the enormous benefits of family planning services, the uptake of the service still remains low in Sub-Saharan Africa. This has resulted into high rates of unwanted pregnancies, unplanned deliveries, unsafe abortions and maternal mortalities in Sub-Saharan Africa of which Nigeria is no exception. The low uptake of family planning is largely blamed on many factors. It has been observed that the awareness of the availability of family planning services has a great influence on the uptake of family planning services. Additionally, even though some women are aware of the availability of family planning services, they are not properly informed about the various forms of family planning methods and how they work. Some of the women who went for family planning services were not adequately counselled on the side effects of some of the family planning methods. For example, in Uganda, some women stopped using contraceptives after they experienced what they perceived were side effects of the contraceptives.
The alarming rate at which the population of the world is increasing demands adequate and immediate attention. This is needed to curb problem of social, ecological, economic and general welfare problems of all individuals. As a matter of fact, the survival of the human race is endangered if population growth is not checked adequately. Family planning is the practice that helps individuals or couples to attain the objectives to avoid unwanted pregnancy, to bring about wanted birth, to regulate the interval between one pregnancy and another to determine the number of children in the family (Olugbenga, Aodurin&Adomi, 2019).
Family planning, according to Smith, Ashford, Gribble and Clifton (2018) increases survival, improves the health of millions of people and helps achieve national goals.
Family planning helps women to avoid unwanted pregnancies, illegal abortions and child bearing that will threaten their own personal health and that of the children. Family planning involves two concepts – contraceptive use and family planning services which is used by couples to bring about healthy sexual relationships among them without fears of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (Osakinle, 2003). Ringheim and Gribble (2018) and Lordson (2012) further shed light on the role of the two concepts. The later opines that family planning can be said to be child spacing. He also believes it is a practice whereby prescribed orthodox medicines are used to prevent pregnancy while the previous child grows and the mother’s body system recover sufficiently.
Ringheim and Gribble (2018) also noted that contraception helps individual to choose when to have children, prevents unintended pregnancies, averts maternal and child deaths and prevents abortions.Family planning could prevent as many as one in every three maternal deaths by allowing women to delay motherhood, space birth, avoid unintended pregnancies and abortion and stopchildbearing when they reached their destined family size (Carb & Mary 2016). Evidence suggests that more than half of all couples in the developing countries are using family planning to delay, space or limit future pregnancies, yet the need for keeps increasing as the number of women of reproductive age continues of grow. An estimated 137million women worldwide have unmet need for Family Planning (FP). that is, they are not using any method and report that they want to avoid pregnancy (Rhoda, Lori,Jay & Donna 2018).
Recent researches have indicated that family planning increases survival, improves the health of millions of people and helps achieve national goals. In “Return of the Population Growth Factor” (2018), it is believed that family planning can contribute to nearly all the goals outlined in the United Nation’s Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) including reducing poverty and hunger, promoting gender equity and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, and ensuring environmental sustainability. World Health Organisation (WHO) (2007) also noted that family planning can help women wait at least two years before trying to become pregnant again, thereby reducing newborn, infant and child deaths significantly. In the same vein,Collumbien, Gerressu and Cleland (2004) are of the opinion that family planning could help prevent as many as one in every three maternal deaths by allowing women to delay motherhood, space births, avoid unintended pregnancies and abortions and stop childbearing when they have reached their desired family size.
Traditionally, Nigerians have recognised the need for spacing births. For example, abstinence while breastfeeding has been widely practiced in Nigeria in the olden days and according to Wolf &Abubukar (2016), it is still practiced in Nigeria across the northern Nigeria as a method of child spacing. Xnaocha (2002) observed that traditional ways used to prevent pregnancy in theolden days include prolonged lactation, post-natal and sexual abstinence and polygamy, that is, husband pressure for intercourse is reduced because of too many wives. Other methods include charms/armlets and herbs. With the increased population and diseases as stated by Lordson (2012), the traditional ways have become obsolete and modern family planning methods for child spacing have been adopted.With the economic state of the Nation, couples begin to face unwanted pregnancies. Of the 210 million pregnancies occurring each year, according to WHO (2007), nearly 80 million are unintended. Unintended pregnancy is a primary reason for aborton. Each year, approximately 42 million women decide they cannot continue their pregnancies and seek abortions. An estimated 20 million of those abortions are performed either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment lacking the minimal medical standards, or both – resulting in nearly 67,000 deaths annually.
Nigeria which has population of 140 million and an annual growth rate of 3.2% is the most population explosion with the resultant effect that food production cannot match the growing population. In Nigeria today, the birth rates are higher than the world average (Nwachukwu&Obasi, 2016) contraceptive prevalence rates is still embarrassing how in Nigeria, according to the report released by the international women’s health coalition, the CPR among married women aged 15-49 years was 8% for modern methods and 12% for all methods. Also other studies have reported a similarly low adoption rate of Modern Birth Control Methods (MBCM), United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA. 2007).
Like many other developing nations majority of Nigeria’s population (about 70%) live in the rural communities. These rural communities have very high fertility rate and the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) is also considerably lower in rural areas with contraceptive prevalence rate of 8% as cpmpared with 18% in the urban areas in Nigeria. Many rural women are reportedly relunctant to accept any artificial method of contraception. (Geur, &Goel, 2016) several studies also revealed that rural women who were unwilling to accept family planning methods were unwilling to accept family planning methods were concerned about child survival and viewed children as a source of support in old age.
Adopting Modern Birth Control Method (MBM) is a very complex sociological issue in Africa, and African women draw on a complex social repertoire in making contraceptive choices. Decision-making concerning fertility control is, for many people, a deeply personal and sensitive issue, often involving religious or philosophical convictions. Studies carried out in Nigeria have shown that lack of adequate information and ignorance are key factors militating against family planning practice in Nigeria (Moronkola, Ojediran&Amosun, 2006) the socio-economic characteristics of women, notably educational differences in reproductive behaviour and contraceptive choice (Olugbenga, Aodurin&Adomi, 2019). Birth control is a priority in Nigeria and many programmes to increase contraceptive practice have been implemented. However, the problem of high fertility and low contraceptive practice remain unresolved. The total fertility rate of the country for the year 2000 was found to be 5.9children per women and the contraceptive prevalence was only 8%. This is too low to affect the fertility levels significantly, and the fertility rate of the country actually increased to 6.1 children per women for the year (2003).High population growth prevents the long-term socio-economic development needed to alleviate poverty and to meet the immediate basic needs of the burgeoning population. Accurate and specific data about the reason behind the low contraceptive practice in the country should be available in order to develop an effective and relevant family planning strategy.
Statement of the problem
Access to quality education is a fundamental right for every child, yet numerous factors can influence the educational outcomes of children. One critical factor that warrants investigation is the practice of family planning within households. The extent to which family planning, including decisions related to family size, birth spacing, and contraceptive use, affects children’s educational attainment remains a subject of concern. This research aims to examine the multifaceted relationship between family planning practices and children’s education, identifying both positive and negative impacts, to better inform policy and individual decision-making.
In view of these, the study intends to look into family planning among women and it’s impact on the education of children in lhiala l.g.a of anambra state
Purpose of the study
The main purpose of this study is to investigate Family planning among women and it’s impact on the education of children in lhiala L.G.A of Anambra state. Specifically, the study intends to:
- Analyze the educational attainment of children in families with varying family sizes and family planning practices.
- Investigate the relationship between birth spacing due to family planning and children’s academic performance and overall educational well-being.
- Investigate whether the level of education of women influences their decisions regarding family planning, and how this, in turn, affects their children’s education
- Find out the level of awareness of women of childbearing age towards family planning
Research questions
In an attempt to carry out the study, answers will be provided to the following questions:
- What is the educational attainment of children in families with different family sizes and family planning practices?
- How does birth spacing, as a result of family planning, correlate with children’s academic performance and overall educational well-being?
- To what extent does the education level of women influence their decisions regarding family planning, and how does this influence impact their children’s education?
- What is the level of awareness among women of childbearing age regarding family planning methods and services in the study area?
Significance of the study
Parents can benefit from the study by gaining insights into the potential consequences of their family planning decisions on their children’s education. This knowledge can help them make more informed choices about family size and timing. Understanding the link between family planning and maternal and child health can encourage parents to prioritize their own health and the health of their children through better family planning practices. Parents may become more aware of the importance of investing in their children’s education, including providing necessary resources and support. Knowledge of the study’s findings can empower parents, especially women, to take charge of their reproductive health and family planning decisions, potentially leading to improved overall family well-being.
Policymakers can use the study’s findings to develop evidence-based policies related to family planning, maternal and child health, and education. These policies can address issues such as access to family planning services, sex education in schools, and gender equality. The study can inform healthcare planning by highlighting the importance of maternal and child health in the context of family planning. Policymakers can allocate resources to improve healthcare services accordingly. Education policymakers can use the study’s insights to enhance educational planning, considering the potential impact of family size on school resources and the quality of education.
The study’s significance extends to both parents and policymakers by providing valuable insights into the relationship between family planning and children’s education, maternal and child health, gender equality, and community well-being. It has the potential to inform decision-making and lead to positive outcomes for families and societies as a whole.
Scope of the Study
The study was delimited to family planning practice among women and its impact on children education. The study is delimited to only woman in Ihiala Local Government area. The survey design of the descriptive type of research was used for the study.
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