Socio-Economic Issues and Challenges in Male Child Preference in Nigeria

Preference for male children is a global phenomenon. However, it is more seriously practiced in highly traditional societies of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The practice is particularly widespread in Nigeria, where for cultural and familial justifications families express subtle and sometimes outright preference for male children over females. Unfortunately, this leads to unintended consequences, not only for the families involved but also for the larger society. Against this backdrop, therefore, this paper attempts to articulate the rationale for male child preference, the extent of the practice, as well as some of its damaging consequences and the attendant implications for the Nigerian society in particular. Whereas in the quest for male children, the focus is usually on the seeming gains, which constitute the motivators for families that would stop at nothing to have them. However, attention is drawn in this paper to the other side of the coin, and emphasis is laid on the need for the practice to be checkmated using appropriate institutional tools.