Household wealth, marriage, and male fertility in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional comparative study from three countries
Turnwait Otu MichaelBackground:
Male fertility remains underexplored in demographic and health research across sub-Saharan Africa, where analytical focus is disproportionately placed on women. Yet men’s socioeconomic positions, particularly as reflected by household wealth, and marital union trajectories play critical roles in shaping fertility outcomes and population dynamics.
Objectives:
This study examined how household wealth and marital union status intersect to influence fertility outcomes among men in Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda.
Design:
A cross-sectional, comparative analysis was conducted using harmonized data from multiple rounds of the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series–Demographic and Health Surveys (IPUMS-DHS).
Methods:
The study analysed a pooled weighted sample of 20,587 men aged 15–59 years. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and general linear models (GLMs) were used to assess associations between fertility (number of children fathered), household wealth quintiles, marital union status, and their interaction effects.
Results:
Mean number of children fathered was highest in Uganda (2.60), followed by Nigeria (2.29), and lowest in South Africa (1.48). Men in multiple marital unions reported substantially higher fertility (mean = 6.10) compared with men in one union (3.44) and never-married men (0.16). Fertility declined across wealth gradients, from 2.57 among the poorest to 1.87 among the richest quintile and increased sharply with age and early union entry. Marital union status was a strong predictor of fertility (Partial η² = 0.082), and the interaction between union status and wealth was statistically significant (
Conclusion:
Male fertility in sub-Saharan Africa is strongly shaped by the intersection of household wealth and marital union status. Without male-inclusive and socioeconomically responsive reproductive health policies, fertility inequalities and demographic pressures are likely to persist across the region.