© Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www.ijbssnet.com 98 Understanding resolution of differential fertility preferences among couples in Nigeria Latifat Ibisomi * Clifford Odimegwu ** a Demography and Population Studies Programme, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa, Phone: +27 766885266* E-mail: libisomi@yahoo.com,* Clifford.odimegwu@wits.ac.za** Sponsoring information The field work for the research from, which this paper is derived, was sponsored by the Council for the Development of Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA): Grant Number SGRT 73/T06. Abstract Using information collected from focus group discussions with men and women from the three dominant ethnic groups in Nigeria, we examined how differences in desired number of children among couples are resolved. While fertility preference is related to the value that individuals placed on children as well as perceived their costs and benefits, husbands are favoured as the ‘in charge’ regarding number of children to have in households. In situations where the number of children wanted by men and their wives differ, conflict and distrust are rife. The man is to have additional wife/wives to make up the number that he wants if the woman does not agree with his desire while persuasion is the main option opened to the woman that wants more children than her husband. The findings show the need for reproductive health policies and programmes to further empower women to achieve their fertility preferences. Key words: Resolution, differential, fertility, preferences, couples, Nigeria 1.Backgeound Dissimilarities in fertility preferences among couples in Sub-Saharan Africa are common and well documented (Bankole & Olaleye, 1993; Bankole, 1995; Bankole and Singh, 1998; Dodoo, 1998; DeRose, 2003). In Bankole and Singh (1998) study of 18 countries, they showed that less than half of couples in the study agree on the same number of children or a one-child difference (implying even lower proportion of couples that agree if the one- child difference is excluded). Many studies have also shown men’s strong influence and or dominance in fertility decision-making and outcome (Bankole, 1995; Mason and Smith, 2000; DeRose, Dodoo and Patil, 2002; DeRose, 2003). This prevailing gender inequality often compel women to adjust their fertility intentions because of actual or anticipated conflict with their husbands or due to their desires to conform to normative expectations (Thomson, 1997; DeRose and Ezeh, 2005). Higher ages and educational attainment of husbands compared to their wives have also been shown to affect reproductive preferences and behaviour (Gebreselassie and Mishra, 2007). However, there has not been much evidence of women having dominance per se on fertility issues. Even higher educational attainment by women especially in the West African coastal region does not give them autonomy or pre-eminence over their reproductive intentions and actions (DeRose et al, 2002). Usually, female education is believed to influence family size decisions both by reducing desired family size and increasing women’s ability to implement their reproductive preferences. While it has been shown that desired family size has an inverse association with education among women, the relationship between education and desired family size among the males is also negative (Measuredhs, 2010). This implies that education has a reducing influence on the family size decisions of the males also.Given that on the average, women’s partners are more likely to have more education or be of similar educational attainment as the women, the demand for children by couples with high educational attainment will be low although, not necessarily the same. Having a low fertility outcome at that level or in such households cannot therefore be equated to the woman’s enhanced control over her fertility. It has also been argued that, education enhances economic autonomy and general decision making of women but, not their reproductive decision making within marriage (DeRose et al, 2002). Nevertheless, it is expected to have some influence on women’s reproductive autonomy through improved couple communication and negotiation.