CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Divorce is legal dissolution of marriage bond. Once the couple decide to divorce, they are free to remarry. In Nigeria, there has been the increase in the rate of divorce. There are two factors influencing the rising divorce rates in the Nigeria. The first factor is both men and women are relying less on one another for economic survival. As women gain status in their workplace or on their businesses, they often want to stand on their own and prefer to control their lives’ affair which enable them to be less dependent on their husbands, the heads of household. Women who are gainfully employed and self-sufficient may be more willing to dissolve a marriage because they are not perceived as a financially dependent spouse. Financial stability allows for the female head of household to have more flexibility to exit a broken marriage. Secondly, when both male and female parents gain political status in the society, one seems to be superior over the other due to political gain. They seem not to have chance to look after the family, especially the female ones who are more likely to be the victims of divorce (Akanbi, 2014).

Divorce, therefore, can be defined to be a personal misfortune for either of the spouse in any society, but is a universal escape for the inevitable tension of marriage, divorce as a matter of fact is a strong bound that breach two united individuals or family. This bond dissolution is as a result of extra-marital practice by the partners in early marriage, a situation where either the spouse is not ripe enough for marriage before getting married. Divorce may not only mean the end of living together between a man and a woman but also breeds instability in the society such as problem of delinquent children and some other complete cities, one increases in the rate of suicide, drunkenness, promiscuity and so on.  These problems affect the socio-economic and political life of any society coupled with the child’s academic achievement.