TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables x
Abstract xii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 8
Research Questions 10
Research Hypotheses 11
Purpose of the Study 12
Significance of the Study 12
Operational Definition of Terms 13
Scope of the Study 14
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Preamble 15
Concept and Types Marriage; 15
Concept of Widowhood; 20
Widowhood Practice in Some Nigerian Societies; 23
Economic and Sexual Challenges of Widowhood; 33
Empirical Review of Related Literature; and 40
Summary of the Reviewed Related Literature 44
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Preamble 46
Research Design 46
Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques 46
Instrumentation 47
Psychometric Properties of the Instrument 48
Procedure for Administration and Collection of Data 48
Procedure for Scoring 49
Method of Data Analysis 49
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
Preamble 50
Demographic Data 50
Hypotheses Testing 54
Summary of the Findings 57
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Preamble 59
Discussion 59
Conclusion 62
Implications for Counselling 63
Recommendations 64
Suggestions for Further Studies 64
REFERENCES 65
APPENDIX 72
ABSTRACT
Widowhood is generally traumatic and very challenging; it is demanding and tasking. This study investigated economic and sexual challenges of widowhood as expressed by young widows in Ilorin metropolis.
The study was a survey research. The population of this study comprised all young widows in Ilorin metropolis while sample size of 200 respondents was used in the study. A questionnaire entitled “Economic and Sexual Challenges of Widowhood Questionnaire” (ESCWQ) was used to collect data for the study. The variables taken into consideration were age, religion, family type and number of children. Mean and rank order analysis were used to answer the main research question while the four null hypotheses formulated were tested using t-test and ANOVA statistical techniques.
The findings of the study revealed that economic and sexual challenges of widowhood are: inability to meet personal needs; uncontrolled sexual appetites without a legal spouse to satisfy me; and sexual injustices against one as a widow. It was also found that no significant difference in the economic and sexual challenges of widowhood as expressed by young widows in Ilorin metropolis based on age, religion, family type and number of children.
Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that counsellor should organise, from time to time, group counselling section for widows in order to cope with their economic and sexual challenges such as inability to meet personal needs; uncontrolled sexual appetites without a legal spouse to satisfy me; sexual injustices against one as a widow among others. Governments need to provide widows in Nigeria with functional education capable of emancipating them from the economic and sexual challenges of widowhood. There is need for widows’ empowerments in terms of access to a means of livelihood in order to carter for their children especially those without job.
