AN EXAMINATION OF FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BEHAVIOR OF WOMEN TOWARDS FAMILY PLANNING IN NIGERIA

Background of the Study: Family planning is the process of having a specific number of children at intervals acceptable by individuals or couples, with the goal of promoting both the health and welfare of the family unit as a whole. As the name suggests, family planning involves having children by choice rather than by chance. The concept of family planning is not novel anywhere in the globe, and this holds true for the Egor Local Government Area of Edo State as well. Individuals and families have, throughout history, endeavored to control their fertility in a variety of ways, including the consumption of herbs, the practice of abstinence during ovulation, the practice of prolonged breast feeding, and the practice of living with parent-in-laws in order to avoid sexual activity or polygamy (Kincaid , 2022).

In the course of human history, the vast majority of civilizations throughout time have adopted policies that support big populations. There are a number of reasons that have historically contributed to Africa's high fertility rate, including the continent's relatively low level of economic growth and its substantial dependence on agriculture. In addition, Mkangi (2022) claims that religious and cultural traditions favor large families because children are expected to help their parents financially and to ensure a kind of family immortality by continuity of the family name. This is one of the reasons why religious and cultural traditions favor large families.

Even though their main responsibilities are those of wives and mothers with restricted rights as subordinates to the males in the family, African women have historically played large roles in agricultural output. This is despite the fact that their primary duties are that of wives and mothers. Because women in polygamous relationships have less prospects than males, their standing is further diminished as a result of the practice of polygamy. Therefore, child bearing is a vital means for them to obtain prestige within the society, and this status may be determined by the number of children that are reared.

Children are necessary not only for their labor on the farm but also for the potential old age security that they provide in later life. This is especially important for the children's mothers due to the fact that women are frequently denied the right to inherit land or forfeit the right to use land upon the death of their husbands. As a result, women need children, especially sons, to ensure that someone will care for them when they are old. Also, a man's health and integrity are frequently determined by the number of wives and children he has. Additionally, because the African religion was highly practiced, it was believed that ancestors are expected to reincarnate through childbirth as descendents. This was a common belief because of the belief that ancestors are expected to reincarnate through childbirth.

Women have come to realize that juggling the demands of producing a wage, having and raising children, together with the laborious work of cooking and housekeeping chores, is a challenging endeavor that eventually degrades the health of both the mother and the children. Many parents have come to the realization in today's society that having a big family might make it difficult to provide enough nutrition, clothes, and educational opportunities for all of the children in the family. Family planning was first implemented in Lagos in 1956 by a group of the city's elites in response to an alarmingly high number of orphaned children caused by a combination of adolescent pregnancy, illegal abortions, and death. After forming this organization, which came to be known as the marital advice counselors and eventually communicated with the worldwide Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, this group of influential people (PPFN).

The first family planning clinic in Ibadan was established by Dr. Adeyemi Jones in 1958; however, it did not survive owing to a lack of financial support. Family Planning Council of Nigeria was first established in 1959; however, in the following years, it transitioned into Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN). Many people and organizations have voiced their displeasure and recommended that parents reduce the size of their families in response to the gradual increase in the rate of child bearing, which has gradually led to an explosion in the world's population. As a result, family planning has become an issue that must be addressed in light of moral, social, and political considerations. These kinds of organizations include the World Health Organization, the International Training for Health Programme, the Pathfinder Fund, and the International Association for Planned Parenthood, amongst others.

Some influential people have discussed the importance of family planning in a variety of different ways. Olaitan (2022), who quotes Tanzanian leader Julius Nyerere from 1959, asserts that "giving birth is something in which mankind and animals are equal. However, rearing the young and especially educating them for many years is something which is something which is a unique gift and responsibility of man." Nyerere was speaking about Tanzania at the time. It is for this reason that it is necessary for man to place a focus not on the quantity or sex of children, but rather on caring for children and the capacity to properly care after them. When we go back into history, we find that birth control was practiced even though our ancestors had the belief that it was important to have big children, as was said previously. This manifested itself in the forms of sexual taboos (such as frowning at pre-marital sex), abstinence, wearing of magical charms and talismans made from the worm of the lioness, and even the use of a child's tooth or cat's liver as a form of protection against unwanted pregnancies and the abortions that followed as a result of those pregnancies (Rasheed , 2022).