Rural Electrification: A Study of Socio-Economic and Fertility CHange in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria many rural communities are currently undergoing rapid economic and socio-cultural transformations, including a decline in fertility. Many rural areas have benefited from various development inputs, including electrification. This paper contends that rural electrification is a major factor contributing to the changes, especially in family planning practice which eventually result in fertility decline. Two communities were selected for case study: one with electricity and the other without electricity. The data reveals that family planning is practised more in the electrified community than the non-electrified one, and there has been a significant decline in fertility.