Evidence from the literature show that in
developed countries where considerable proportion of women
participate in the labor force, total fertility and population
growth rate are considerably low. This is in sharp contrast to
most less developed countries like Nigeria where women’s
involvement in the labor force is low, and total fertility and
growth rate are both consistently high. This study examines the
relationships between factors influencing the relationships
between women’s involvement in the labour force and fertility
preferences with focus on south-south region of Nigeria. The
study employed the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health
Survey (NDHS) data sets. Analysis applied univariate, bivariate,
and multivariate analytical techniques. Preliminary results show
that current working status of women in the region vary
significantly by age, education, no of co-wives, state of residence,
and age at first sex of the respondents (p-values = 0.000). Other
factors with positive significant association with current work
status are; religion (p-value = 0.034), and wealth index (p-value =
0.030). Earnings of women in the south-south region of the
country were significantly associated with age, residence,
education, religion, wealth index state of residence, and age at
first sex (p-values = 0.000). These results have importance
significance for policy and programmes geared to increase
women’s labour market involvement in Nigeria. The results from
the multivariate analysis showed that policy makers and
programmers need to consider variations and differences in state
of residence, education, wealth status, and number of co-wives
when designing tailor made programmes for these subgroups in
the region.