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Objectives Fertility level remains relatively high in Nigeria. Currently, it peaks at about six children per woman. Many studies have suggested targeting men in family planning programs to reduce fertility levels, particularly in patriarchal societies. Nigeria, being a patriarchal and multiethnic society, males’ influence on fertility behavior remains indisputable. Thus, this study explores contextual factors, such as sociocultural norms, beliefs, preferences, and perceptions, that influence male fertility behavior across different ethnic groups in Nigeria. Design The study uses qualitative data that involved focus group discussion (FGD) and in-depth interview (IDI) from three geopolitical zones in Nigeria, with each zone representing the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Six IDIs and four FGDs were conducted in each of the three selected regions among men making a total of 18 IDIs and 12 FGDs, respectively. The data were transcribed and exported to Atlas.ti software for analyses. Results Some of the beliefs and perceptions mentioned include influence of religion, polygamy, socioeconomic status, government policy, peer pressure, culture, and sex preference. These factors were found to vary considerably across tribes/ethnic groups. Conclusions Findings from this article show that there are other factors beyond individual factors that affect fertility behavior among men. Thus, there is a need to take into consideration the unique community structures in subsequent population-oriented social policy reviews and implementation to tackle high fertility behavior in Nigeria.

Background: Modern contraceptives (MC) are important strategies for reducing unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion and maternal mortality, but MC remains low at 18% in Nigeria. Similarly, while there is increasing prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nigeria, its effects on contraceptive use remain unclear. This study examined the influence of IPV on MC use, while adjusting for individual- and community-level confounders. Methods : The study utilized 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data. We performed multilevel binary logistic regression analysis on 24,973 married women aged 15-49 49 (nested within 1,400 communities), who were sexually active and were not pregnant at the time of the survey. Results : Findings show that use of MC was higher among married women who reported experience of IPV than those without IPV exposure. After adjusting for individual-level and contextual factors, the odds of using MC was significantly higher among women who experienced any form of IPV (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.17-2.21, p<0.005) compared to those who reported no IPV experience. Around one-quarter of the total variance in contraceptive use with respect to the different types of IPV could be explained at the community level. Conclusion : The study provides empirical evidence that there is significant community effect on IPV exposure and women’s contraceptive uptake. Attention must therefore be given to the context-specific social and gender norms that affect women’s sexual and reproductive health in Nigeria.

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