TITLE:
Is Female Circumcision Driven by Culture or Poverty? Evidence from Indigenes of Ikole, Oye and Ido-Osi Local Government Areas of Ekiti State, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Rufus Boluwaji Akindola, Matthew Oladipupo Abiola
KEYWORDS:
Female Circumcision, Female Genital Mutilation, Culture, Poverty
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.7 No.5,
May
23,
2019
ABSTRACT: This study investigated the relationship between Female Circumcision/Female Genital Mutilation, culture and poverty in three Local Government Areas of Ekiti State in Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 146 respondents in three local government areas out of the 16 local government areas in the state. Primary and secondary data were used to accomplish the objectives of the study. Data were collected through the use of detailed questionnaire and focused group discussion. Descriptive statistics were applied to the data collected. The findings revealed that FC/FGM is not caused by poverty but largely by a cultural belief that has been present in these communities for centuries. The findings further confirmed that these communities are not likely to heed the ongoing global advice to discontinue the practice hence their insensitivity to the much-publicized associated risks.