Religion perception and attitude of men towards female genital cutting discontinuation in Nigeria: Evidence from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey

Abstract

Men’s roles in any patriarchy society and the influence of their religion belief cannot be overemphasized most especially in a culturally encrypt matter like female genital cutting. The study sample consisted of 8,111 men who had previous awareness of female genital cutting (FGC) from a cross-sectional nationally representative survey in Nigeria. The data take into cognizance the religion belief of the respondents as well as their attitude towards FGC among others. Analytical bivariate and multivariate ordered logistic estimates for FGC discontinuation were considered for the study. Of the total respondents, 29% erroneously believed and reported that their religion required FGC for female children. Significantly higher proportion (89.4%; p<0.01 ) of men whose religion did not required FGC were found subscribing to discontinuation of FGC. A significant lower odds of FGC discontinuation exists among those whose religion belief required FGC practice. Religion teachings and beliefs are crucial correlates of men’s attitude towards FGC. There is need to engage men and their religion teachings in the strategy of fight against FGC.