Women in Nakapiripirit District are facing increasing pressure to have more children as they compete for recognition and support within polygamous marriages, community leaders and gender advocates have said.
In some communities, a woman’s status in the home is closely associated with the number of children she bears, forcing some women to continue having children even when they would prefer to stop.
The pressure is particularly strong in polygamous households, where some women believe having more children than their co-wives could earn them greater attention, resources and support from their husbands.
Dr Jennifer Ayopo of Tokora Health Centre IV said widespread polygamy was contributing to large families and low uptake of family planning in the area.
She said some men have more than two wives, with some having five or six, creating competition among co-wives to have more children.
“Women compete for their husbands by producing more children. I have interacted with mothers and, when you ask them which pregnancy they are carrying, some tell you it is their 10th pregnancy,” Dr Ayopo said.
She made the remarks on Friday at Tokora Primary School in Nakapiripirit District during a school health outreach organised by ActionAid International with funding from the European Union.
The programme seeks to address harmful practices including domestic violence, female genital mutilation, early marriage, defilement, rape and forced marriage, while promoting the rights of adolescent girls in the Karamoja sub-region.
Dr Ayopo said some women avoid family planning because they fear their co-wives will continue having children with their husbands, leaving them at a disadvantage.
She also said opposition from husbands discourages some women from using contraceptives.
“Women fear to embrace family planning because their husbands are tough. When a husband gets information that his wife has started family planning, it can result in domestic violence and, in some cases, families breaking up,” she said.
The situation is compounded by poverty and the challenges of raising large families, she said.
“Most of the children are not in school. These children need books, food and other necessities, yet many parents cannot afford to provide them,” Dr Ayopo said.
She said some families struggle to provide basic school requirements, including sanitary pads for girls, contributing to school dropout.
According to Dr Ayopo, children who leave school are more vulnerable to early marriage and teenage pregnancy.
“Children are being made mothers at a young age. We need to fight school dropout and early marriages, and this fight must start at household level,” she said.
She called for greater community awareness about family planning and the challenges associated with large families and polygamous marriages.
“Parents with fewer children find it easier to educate and provide for them. We need to educate our people about the dangers of having many children and many wives,” she said.
Dr Ayopo also urged men to support their spouses in making informed decisions about family planning and called for interventions to address poverty, school dropout, early marriage and teenage pregnancy.
Ms Juliet Napeyok, a resident of Lemusui Sub-county and mother of 11 children, said some women fear being neglected, divorced or replaced if they do not have enough children.
She said such fears can push women to continue childbearing despite the economic and health challenges involved.
Napeyok said couples should jointly decide on the number of children they want rather than allowing competition among co-wives or cultural expectations to determine family size.
“We call for increased community sensitisation to challenge beliefs that equate a woman’s value with the number of children she bears,” she said.
She added that improving women’s education, economic opportunities and access to healthcare could help reduce pressure on women to have large families.
Health experts warn that repeated pregnancies without adequate spacing can increase health risks for mothers and babies and say women should have access to quality family planning services and information to make informed reproductive health decisions.
Police data cited during the outreach show that Uganda recorded 12,361 reported domestic violence cases in 2025, down from 14,073 in 2024. Police identified disputes over family property, failure to provide for families, drug and alcohol abuse and infidelity among the leading causes.
The Moroto police region, which covers parts of Karamoja, recorded 454 domestic violence cases in 2025.
Nurse Angella Clementina of Nakapiripirit Health Centre III said more women are now attending antenatal care services following interventions by ActionAid International.
However, she said teenage mothers continue to face challenges including early marriage, teenage pregnancy and school dropout.
Clementina said some parents in Karamoja still marry off their daughters in exchange for cows, limiting the girls’ opportunities to continue their education.
“Parents should allow their children to continue with their education. A cow cannot improve a child’s future, but it can take away the opportunity for a girl to achieve her dreams,” she said.
Ms Lydia Lunyolo Teddy, deputy head teacher of Tokora Primary School, said some girls are left without adequate parental support to remain in school.
She said some parents prioritise receiving bride price from their daughters’ marriages instead of supporting their education.
With support from the European Union, the school has introduced a re-entry programme encouraging teenage mothers and other school dropouts to return to class.
“We encourage girls who have become pregnant and given birth to return to school. We also encourage boys who dropped out to come back and continue with their education,” Lunyolo said.
She said three teenage mothers have so far returned to school through the programme.