© OCT 2019 | IRE Journals | Volume 3 Issue 4 | ISSN: 2456-8880 Comparative Analysis of Demographic and Socio- Economic Determinants of Fertility in Northern and Southern Gombe State 1 2 UMAR YUSUF ABDULLAHI , ABUBAKAR ABDULLAHI 1, 2 Department of Geography, Federal University of Kashere, Gombe, Gombe State, Nigeria Abstract- Demographic and socio-economic factors Indexed Terms- fertility, demographic, socio- are important determinants of fertility among economic couples, and these factors can greatly determine the number and quality of children in a region. This I. INTRODUCTION study aimed to compare demographic and socio- economic determinants of male parent in relation to The production of a child is a biological process, the fertility in Gombe North and Gombe South. Hence, various activities and events that lead to the act of male average rate of fertility and demographic and sexual intercourse and, later, to giving birth are socio-economic factors in relation to child bearing affected by the social, economic, cultural, and were observed and analysed. Frequency tables using psychological characteristics of the woman and the cross tabulation, averages, percentages, T-Test and man, as well as by the environment in which they correlation analysis were used in analyzing data live. The key to this seeming paradox is that obtained from the field, which were collected engaging in intercourse, conceiving, and giving birth through purposive sampling techniques. Results are themselves behaviors that are influenced by other show that Gombe North has more average fertility factors, most of them social and cultural, (Poston and (3.7) than Gombe South (2.02), majority of the male Bouvier, 2010). respondents were not married hence they have no children, some children from Gombe south were Social demographers are primarily interested in born outside marriage, early marriages were ascertaining whether, how, and why various social, identified in Gombe North than in Gombe South, economic, cultural, and environmental factors high proportion of educated male parents were influence both the likelihood of a man and woman identified in Gombe South than in Gombe North, having a baby and the number of babies they will most children in both sampled regions were from have in their lifetime. Variables such as social class, working class parent but with low incomes. economic status, religious beliefs, psychological Occupation, income and age were identified to have disposition, attitudes about children, and many others significant association with child bearing as against have all been shown to be important in the decision ethnicity and education which has no relationship to have a baby, as well as the number of babies (from to the number of children in the regions. The zero to some positive number) a couple will have. following recommendations were made: people Demographers have shown, for example, that the should be encourage to have more education more years of education a person has, the fewer will because it has significant effect on children be the number of children, (Poston and Bouvier, development, government and religious leaders 2010). should joint hand to discourage having children outside marriage and people should have more Majority of countries in the world with the highest source of income to increase their earnings in order fertility rate are all found in Africa with Niger to give quality life to their children. Topping the list with the highest fertility rate at 7.153 children per woman, followed by Somalia with 6.123 children per women. Other countries with high IRE 1701657 ICONIC RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING JOURNALS 79 © OCT 2019 | IRE Journals | Volume 3 Issue 4 | ISSN: 2456-8880 fertility rate include: The Democratic Republic of which is relatively high when compared with other Congo, Mali and Chad with 5.963, 5.922 and 5.797 states in Nigeria. Gombe State also had the lowest children per woman, respectively. In African wealth quintiles in North Eastern Nigeria which continent Tunisia has the lowest fertility rate with accounted for 40.4%, (Demographic and Health just 2.147 children per woman (World Population Survey, 2013). Many socio economic and Review, 2018). Two of the most densely populated demographic variables related to male working age countries in the world China and India having groups in the region are at the disadvantage side. fertility rates on the lower end of the scale with Hence, this research seeks to study the demographic fertility rate of 1.635 and 2.303 children per woman and socio-economic characteristics of male working respectively. population in relation to fertility in Gombe State with special focus on Gombe South and Gombe North. The current population of Nigeria is 198,489,646as of January, 2019, based on the latest United Nations II. LITERATURES estimates. This shows an annual increase of 2.6 % with total fertility rate of 5.67 per woman Previous researches had shown that age, age at first (worldometer, 2019). The total fertility rate of marriage, the use of contraceptives and educational Nigerian women indicates that at the end of a levels has significance effect on fertility differentials woman’s childbearing age, given the current fertility among various communities, (Ogaboh, 2011 and situation, she should give birth to about 6 live Mahanta, 2016). Poston and Bouvier, (2010) and children. The situation in Nigeria taken in the context Skirbekk, (2008), stated that, there is a negative of the declining mortality rate, does spell doom for relationship between education and fertility, meaning the country and to compound the situation, life the more the level of education the lesser the fertility, expectancy is currently given at 52.6 years. The in other words those that attends high level of implication is that the rate of population growth is in education tends to have fewer children. Similarly, sharp contrast to the level of economic growth. Thus, many studies shows that there is a negative the quality of the population is compromised for relationship between fertility and employment, quantity (Isiugo and Abanihe, 1996; Ushie, 2009). meaning the more the number of women of reproductive age engage in private and government Considering the pessimistic view of population jobs the fewer the child bearing, (ozgoren, Ergocmen growth which considers increase in population as a and Tensel 2018; Al-Zalak and Goujon, 2017; Beguy, major problem that has direct negative impact on 2009 and Skirbekk, 2008). Income among couples is socioeconomic and environmental development in a another important factor that determines fertility in region, one can clearly see this in the region where different regions. Siow-Li, Lai and Nai-PengTey, this study is undertaken. Because the above theory is 2014 and Skirbekk, 2008, in their studies indicated clearly pointing to the developing countries where that poor people have more children than rich people. there is high birth rate with little development. According to Demographic and Health Survey, However, none of the above studies made a (2013), Gombe state had the second highest fertility comparative analysis of fertility in relation to rate with 7.0 live births per woman after Bauchi state demographic and socio-economic characteristics which emerged the highest with 8.1 live births per between Gombe North and Gombe South, all the woman, (Demographic and Health Survey, 2013). above researches focused on women fertility only but Results had also shown that North Eastern Nigeria this research focused on men working age group and had the highest percentage of male working age their demographic and socio-economic characteristics group with no education of about 44.7% which is in relation to fertility in these two regions and lastly almost half of the population. However, Gombe none of the above researches borders to know how State has significant percentage of male of working many children are born legally and how many were age group with no education which accounted for born out of wedlock,. It is in view of this and other 37.2% meaning more than one third of the socio economic challenges related to fertility in the population of male in Gombe state were not educated regions attracted the attention of the researchers to IRE 1701657 ICONIC RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING JOURNALS 80 © OCT 2019 | IRE Journals | Volume 3 Issue 4 | ISSN: 2456-8880 investigate and analyze the demographic and socio age groups, number of their children and level of economic determinants of fertility among male their income, while the qualitative data obtained were working age groups in Gombe State. The aim is information about their beliefs, ethnicity, occupation achieved through the investigations of the following and their educational attainment in relation to fertility objectives: which were further converted to quantitative data for To know the average rate of fertility among male the purpose of analysis. Demographic and socio- of working age groups between Gombe North and economic data were sourced directly from the male Gombe South and to examine if there is any respondents from Dukku and Billiri L.G.A which difference in fertility between the regions. were obtained by level 200 students supervised by To identify the demographic and socio economic some course lecturers. Other secondary data were characteristics of male working age groups in sourced from Demographic and Health Survey, 2013, Gombe South and Gombe North in relation to National Population and census data 2006, published fertility and to know if there is any relationship and unpublished sources, Journals, text books and between demographic and socio economic internet sources. characteristics and number of children. Areas of study were selected using crude balloting III. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS method; in which pieces of papers with inscriptions of names representing L.G.As in Gombe South and This study adopted two (2) null hypotheses which Gombe North were mixed in a container, in which states that: the researcher picked a paper among the mixed There is no difference of child bearing between papers, and one L.G.A was selected from each region Gombe South and Gombe North.