The Ideology of Baby-Mama Phenomenon: Assessing Knowledge and Perceptions among Young People from Educational Institutions

Abstract

This study investigated the knowledge and perception of the ideology of baby-mama concept among the youths. Particularly, this paper assessed the knowledge of the concept of baby mama among youths and also their opinion on the acceptability of this style of family structure. The study employed a qualitative approach through an in-depth interview research method. Forty respondents between the ages of 16 and 40 years were selected across three educational institutions in Oyo state, south-west Nigeria. The participants of the study voluntarily agreed to participate in the research and everything said during the course of the interview was transcribed and subjected to qualitative content analysis of latent and manifest content. The findings of this study revealed that the prevalence of the baby-mama ideology is driven by social media making it more pronounced among the youths. The phenomenon of baby-mama is perceived differently, depending on the cultural background and the value system. It is believed that the nuclear family unit of a father, mother and their biological children is good, worthwhile and deserving to be sustained as a family structure. It is quite obvious from this study that the baby-mama phenomenon is not generally welcomed among the youths.