OBSERVED CAUSES AND RESULT OF DIVORCE AMONG MARRIED AND DIVORCED COUPLES IN GAYA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KANO STATE, NIGERIA     

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the perceived causes and effects of divorce among the married and divorced couples in Gaya local government area of Kano state. The objective of the study was to determine the religious, social, economic and political causes and effects of divorce in the study area. The study used survey design and a sample of three hundred and fifty three [383] respondents, made up of 173 married and 193 divorced people served as the sample of the study.  The instrument for data collection was questionnaire titled perceived causes and effects of divorce inventory [P C E D I]. Percentages and mean were used in answering the research questions. Independent t- test was used in testing hypotheses. All the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study revealed no significant difference in the perceptions of the married and divorced couples on the religious, social, economic and political causes of divorce and it so also showed the effects of divorce. Therefore, the study recommended for pre-marital counselling for both married and divorced couples as well as for young men and women in the society to get prepared conveniently for marriage practices. Counsellors, learned people and people concern should effectively be utilizing mass Medias and forum they find themselves in and create awareness in the minds of people on marriages divorce and its effects.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Marriage is the oldest and the most cherished institution that every society in the world has undergone or went through their unique practices religiously, economically, socially and politically. Families as a social group whose members are related by blood, marriage or adoption are students of this institution. According to Musa [2008] “organization, coordination and distribution of societal wealth, is only easy and possible through an established system, and no system is more realistic than the family.”

Culture and tradition in Africa have shown that a person is honoured and becomes responsible if he marries. Marriage accelerates and enhances social relationships between people. Marriage is a lifelong activity, if it is made with the acceptance of both the two parties.

But there are certain natural and artificial instances that occur and bring about marital instabilities in marriage activities whose end results are divorce. Divorce is mainly caused by political, economic, social and religious factors. Abdullati (2002) is of the opinion that conflict between couples is inevitable especially when they come from different societal setting. Spouses can no longer live in harmony and have lost mutual regard for each other; for obvious reasons, husbands search for slight fault from their wives to seek for a divorce. Musa {2008} highlighted that divorce is a dissolution of a marriage contract which may be effected either by the act of the husband or by demand from the wife or by mutual agreement or by operation of the law.

Lemu {2005} explains that dissolution of marriage brings about the disintegration of the family unity. Yahaya {2008} is of the opinion that divorce leads to broken homes, children in these homes suffer from lack of parental care and love, poor socialization, which in the end leads to delinquency, to criminal acts and to the spread of other social ills in the society. Couples begin to dislike the values of marriage in totality. The end result of divorce is that couples begin to roam about and take time before getting married again. To a certain extent, women go into prostitution. According to Anderson (2000), the rampant divorce the society is experiencing is breeding a lot of sexual ills or practices, immoralities and disrespect. However, poverty and ignorance are another grand factors influencing   divorce in many of the Hausa societies. People marry without having the full knowledge of marriage and the functions of marriage. Responsibilities of husbands to their wives and the responsibilities of wives and their husbands are not fully understood and observed by married couples. According to Lemu (200O) women, for one reason or the other, develop high taste of life in marriage. It is the consequences of these factors that the main body of this survey revolves around.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Gaya local government area of Kano state is a typical Hausa Fulani setting where majority of the people live in their homes. It is an area where married and divorced couples are easily known or identified. From the data gathered in the area, divorce rate is increasing arithmetically especially during harvesting seasons. This is why divorce is becoming increasingly problematic and noticeable as a result of the gross negativity of its effects on the society. The perceived causes of divorce are classified into religious, social, economic and political factors. From the religious factor, is observed that many couples are not committed to their religious practices. They are ignorant to their obligatory responsibilities as husbands and wives. They respect culture at the expense of their religious practices. Those that are having the knowledge are not putting the knowledge in their marriage activities. Radda [2001] and Musa [2008] shade more light as they said in their findings that ignorance, parents inability to train their children and cultural predomination are the major religious factor causing divorce in most of the Hausa societies.

From the social factor, people have the opinion that communication gap, early marriage and with little or no experience of withstanding marital challenges, lack of love, care, lack of motivation, frequent travelling by husbands with little or no time to the wives, excessive smoking and drinking of alcohol are vibrant instruments that cause divorce. [R. I. Okorodudu and C. N. Okorodudu 2004] observation is in line above assertion as their finding reveals that communication gap is a common problem in almost all marriages in Nigeria. Modo [1996] so also in his research work explained that the common feature among the Muslim house wives is that they all married before the age of 19. These innocent wives have no option than to see their husbands as fathers and would not express themselves freely.

Economic is another factor that causes divorce Hausa communities. It is observed that, poverty, house mismanagement and selling of food stuff by wives cause divorce. Lack of sufficient supply of food stuff in the house, lack of welfare packages to the wives by the husbands, and inability for the husbands to take care for the training of their wives make divorce easily.

Musa [2008] added that the husbands, that cannot satisfy the financial needs of their wives, certainly stand to face problems from them.

In the political factor, it is observed that many couples do not know what administration not to talk of administrating others. They allow external interferences to run the activities of their houses. They cannot render justice in the administration of their children. They cannot make adjustments of life to themselves; they lack mutual commitment and trust. Yahaya [2008] supported this opinion as he observed in his finding that cruelty, battering, bullying, too much commitment to job at the expense of marital relationship instigate divorce.

Divorce when it is made, it uses to have serious religious, social, economic and political consequences on the couples, family themselves and the society at large. From the religious point of view, it is observed that when divorce is made, in most of the time, enmity is created between the couples. Children of divorced couples suffer from poor upbringing, lack proper guidance and moral training. Modo [1996] went on to say wives may result to locking things in the mind. However, parents are shying away from their obligatory responsibilities of training their children morally; they engage themselves in training the children on how and where to get money.

From the social point of view, divorce has serious effects on the couples, the children and the family. It is clearly seen that after divorce, women are subjected to traumatic conditions such as forceful ejection from matrimonial homes, loss of dignity as wives and loss of responsibilities. Modo [1996] went further and shed light that when couples are not in speak able terms, this may result in tension and severance of relationships.

Husbands use communication breakdown as a weapon for punishing their wives most especially in Nigerian situation where men are not restricted to their marriage vow. Musa [2008] too, has examined that if divorcees become immoral and children get poor socialization chain of social problems such as prostitution, drug abuse, thuggery, school dropout, pre marital sex, which may lead to H I V|A I D S and unwanted pregnancies etc will be trigged and ultimately spread across the society affecting all members.

Means of survival is vital in life. Absence of it causes havoc especially in marriages as it accelerates divorce. This is why the victims of this circumstances search for the means of survival such as prostitution, hawking, house help work, selling of food in commercial areas and finally become political sags. Children from divorce family may be engaging themselves into licentious activities instead of economic activities. Musa [2008] further intensified this view points as he explained that the end result of divorce is woman lose her source of financial satisfaction. If she is not working, and poor, she may scum to other means of alleviating her suffering.

From the political effects of divorce, it is seen that divorce women experienced separation with children, house ejection, loss matrimonial administration and children experienced parental neglect. Radda and Zango [2001] went further to say that members of the community are not treating divorced women properly. Children of divorced women are not often treated properly by their step mothers. Sometimes they are denied food, proper hygiene and emotional attention. As a result, children take the form of unusual behavours like delinquent acts, begging and other forms of destitution. Thus, this study investigated the perceived causes and effects of divorce among the married and divorced couples in the study area.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are to determine the:

1. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on religious causes of divorce in Gaya local government area;
2. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on social causes of divorce in Gaya local government;
3. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on economic causes of divorce in Gaya local government Area;
4. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on political causes of divorce in Gaya Local Government Area;
5. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on religious effects of divorce in Gaya Local Government Area;
6. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on social effects of divorce among the married and divorce in Gaya Local Government Area;
7. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on economic effects of divorce in Gaya Local Government Area; and
8. Perceptions of married and divorced couples on political effects of divorce in Gaya Local Government Area.

1.4 Research questions

The following research questions were asked and they guided the study:

1. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the religious causes of divorce in Gaya local government?
2. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the social causes of divorce in Gaya local government?
3. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the economic causes of divorce in Gaya local government?
4. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the economic causes of divorce in Gaya local government?
5. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the religious effects of divorce in Gaya local government area?
6. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the social effects of divorce in Gaya local government area
7. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the economic effects of divorce in Gaya local government area?
8. What are the perceptions of married and divorced couples on political effects of divorce in Gaya local government area?

1.5 Hypotheses

The following hypotheses guided the conduct of the study.

1. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the mismatch religious causes of divorce in Gaya local government area.
2. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the social causes of divorce in Gaya local government area.
3. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the economic causes of divorce in Gaya local government area.
4. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the political causes of divorce in Gaya local government area.
5. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the religious effects of divorce in Gaya local government area,
6. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the social effects of divorce in Gaya local government area,
7. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on the economic effects of divorce in Gaya local government area, and
8. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of married and divorced couples on political effects of divorce in Gaya local government area.

1.6 Basic assumptions

The following assumptions were raisedf

1. The married and divorced couples may have common perceptions of the religious causes of divorce in Gaya local government area.
2. The married and divorced couples may have the same perceptions of the social causes of divorce in Gaya Local Government Area.
3. Married and divorced couples may have the same perceptions of the economic causes of divorce in Gaya local government area
4. Married and divorced couples may have the same perceptions of the political causes of divorce in Gaya local government area.
5. Married and divorced couples may have the same perceptions of the religious effects of divorce in Gaya local government area.
6. Married and divorced couples may have the same common perceptions of the social effects of divorce in Gaya local government area.
7. Married and divorced couples may have the same common perception of the economic effects of divorce in Gaya local government area.
8. Married and divorced couples may have the same common perceptions of the political effects of divorce in Gaya local government area.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The research work is vital and of benefit to not only the counselling professionals but also to community leaders, judges, Islamic teachers, married and divorced couples, policy makers and the general public. The study is highly beneficial to government and Non-Governmental

Organizations since they are agents aiming at curtailing the rate of divorce in the area of study.

The finding of the study is significant as it attempts to provide solutions to reduce the rate of divorce among the people concerned in the study area. For those who experienced divorce, the work will help them to guard against its future occurrence. And for those who are yet to experience it, the work will serve, to them, as a guide or a precautionary measure against its occurrence.

The finding also intends to motivate the parents, elders in the society, religious leaders, village heads, district heads and counsellors to contribute eminently toward establishing more desirable, everlasting marital engagements and relationships between couples so the rate of divorce in the society will reduce.

Also, the findings of the study intends to help all married couples in the society as it reflects out their marriage responsibilities and functions as ordained upon them by God, whose, if fully and judiciously adhered to, end result is infinite patience, tolerance, loyalty, transparency, unending of love and affection. The work intends to enlighten couples on the art of understanding one another`s levels in life, that is who they are, what they are, what they can do and what they cannot do. If this is known and practiced between them, negative actions and reactions will be reduced and thus, there will be peace and love between them.

The finding of the study will help and give counsellors a guiding input which they can use to counsel and enlighten married and divorced couples to observe early, identify and appreciate the factors influencing divorce and its end results to them, the family and the society which, if they adhere these inputs to, will curtail the menace of divorce.

1.8 Scope and Delimitation of the study

The study is delimited to the married and divorced couples‟s perceptions on the causes and effects of divorce in Gaya local government area. It covers all the married and the divorced couples who experienced the bitter taste of divorce in the seventeen villages in Gaya local government area. The area of study is a simple society where married and divorced people are very much known. They can be counted within a short time.

OBSERVED CAUSES AND RESULT OF DIVORCE AMONG MARRIED AND DIVORCED COUPLES IN GAYA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KANO STATE, NIGERIA     

Sharing is caring!