CHILDBEARING AS THE GOAL OF MARRIAGE AND ITS CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES AMONG THE IGBO PEOPLE OF AFRICA: THE STAND OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION
Marriage among the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria is traditionally understood as a social and spiritual institution with childbearing as its core purpose. Rooted in African Traditional Religion (ATR), this belief holds that procreation ensures lineage continuity and ancestral honour. Among the Igbo people of Nigeria therefore, marriage is deeply rooted in cultural and religious expectations, with childbearing regarded as its primary goal. In traditional Igbo and broader African contexts, procreation is central to fulfilling social, spiritual, and ancestral obligations. However, in contemporary Igbo society, this view faces increasing challenges such as infertility, delayed marriages, modern values, legal changes, shifting gender roles and changing societal norms that threaten this core expectation. This article explores the traditional view of marriage, the importance of childbearing as the principal aim of marriage in Igbo culture, the emerging tensions in modern contexts and the challenges it now faces, and how African Traditional Religion (ATR) addresses, interprets and upholds this expectation. The paper calls for a balanced understanding that respects tradition while engaging modern realities.
Keywords: Childbearing, Marriage, Igbo culture, African Traditional Religion, cultural change