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.