Social Determinants of Female Genital Mutilation Practices among Married Women in Ilorin West Local Government, Kwara State (Published)
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and it has a very high prevalence of cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the world, accounting for about one-quarter of the estimated 110–140 million circumcised women worldwide. This study assessed the social determinants of FGM among married women in Ilorin West local government of Kwara state. A descriptive research design was used for the study. The population were married women in Oro, Kwara State. The sample for this study consisted of 142 married women from households in Oro, Kwara State, Nigeria and they were selected using convenience sampling procedure. A self-developed instrument was used to collect data for the study from the married women. The findings revealed married women still engage in female genital mutilation practices irrespective of their religion (F-cal value of 0.617 is not significant because the P value (0.623) > 0.05 at 0.05.) and age (F-cal value of 0.823 was not significant because the P value (0.559) > 0.05 at 0.05). It was recommended that the promotion of campaigns against FGM practices should be strengthened using widely accessible forms of communication, including as radio and television shows and posters, in order to increase awareness and disseminate correct information amongst others.
Keywords: Determinants, Female Genital Mutilation, Married Women, Social