HOW SOCIAL VALUES AFFECT CHILD AND MATERNAL MORTALITY IN NIGERIA

A CRITICAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

Social values are ideas, beliefs or feelings shared by members of a society about what is good, right and desirable in their society. Derived from tradition, experience, and religion, they regulate standards of conducts, inform the morality of the society and drive the design of social institutions. This review paper examines the link between social values and the problem of child and maternal mortality (CMM) in Nigeria. The paper argues that high level of child and maternal mortality in Nigeria could be related to pro-natal nature of some value systems which encourage births in total disregard of whether or not the woman is physically and emotionally stable to cope with such births or whether the child will survive thereafter. It was pointed out that in parts of the country; there are positive social definitions, value dispositions and responses to large family size, teenage pregnancy, male child preference, female genital mutilation and low girl child education all of which threaten the health of mother and her expected or newborn child. Furthermore, use of contraceptives is yet to attract large followership as the value system defined children as gifts from God that man has no justification to regulate its processes. To reduce child and maternal mortality related to social values in Nigeria, this paper canvassed support for intensive public enlightenment and girl child education. Advocacy against cultural systems that endanger health of mothers and their new born should also be vigorously pursued.