THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ISSN: 0331-4111
Volume 7, No. 1, 2009
DOI: 10.36108/NJSA/9002/70(0150)
Media Exposure and Reproductive Behaviour Change among Generations of Adolescents in Ugep, Nigeria
Koblowe Obono1 & Oka Obono2
1Mass Communication Department College of Development Studies Covenant University Ota, Nigeria
Tel.: +234 802 344 4274; Email: koblowe.obono@yahoo.com
2Sociology Department, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan
Abstract
This paper examines change in reproductive behaviour across several generations of adolescent girls in Ugep, southern Nigeria. It is based on a study of key factors promoting differences in girls’ reproductive behaviour across these generations, which linked this change to media exposure and a number of social variables that challenge traditional views of the relationships. The study found alterations in adolescent sexual activities, contraceptive prevalence, voluntary abortion and the fertility. Female age at sexual debut was found to be declining, with 11.3% of adolescent females initiating sex at 11 years relative to 4.1 percent from previous cohorts. This finding in particular reflects the onset of liberal sexual norms, accentuated by ease of entry into consensual unions and trends towards sexual networking. The general findings point to the role of western media, poverty and pressures related to an urbanizing lifestyle on girls’ aspirations and reproductive choices. In this way, it contributes to the growing body of work on reproductive change in an era of serious population debate and, therefore, suggests a need for adopting alternative models for explaining reproductive change in sub-Saharan communities.
Keywords: communication, reproductive change, media, adolescents, social
pressure