Fertility differentials among the Ijo in southern Nigeria: does urban residence make a difference?

The paper tests some of the conflicting hypotheses regarding the effects of urban living and education on fertility by examining the fertility levels of women migrants--some educated, others not--to various urban centers in one Nigerian ethnic group. Of particular interest are the conditions under which the urban residents live and the concept of 'urban' is examined in this West African context. Research methodology consisted of a two-pronged approach and combined an intensive ethnographic study of the families in the rural home community and in one urban center with a demographic survey administered to a larger sample of the rural residents and urban migrants. Analysis indicates that the effect of education on fertility is more powerful than urban or rural residence. The importance of utilizing culturally appropriate categories in demographic research is discussed.