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

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1:           Percentage Distribution of Respondents Based on Age                             51

Table 2:           Percentage Distribution of Respondents Based on Religion                      51

Table 3:           Percentage Distribution of Respondents Based on Family Type              52

Table 4:           Percentage Distribution of Respondents based on Number of Children  52

Table 5:           Mean and Rank Order Analysis of the Respondents’ Expression on

                        the Economic and Sexual Challenges                                                      53

Table 6:           Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showing Respondents’ Expression

                        on the Economic and Sexual Challenges Based Age                             54

Table 7:           Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showing Respondents’ Expression

                        on the Economic and Sexual Challenges Based Religion                      55

Table 8:           Mean, Standard Deviation and t-value of the Respondents’ Expression

                        on the Economic and Sexual Challenges Based Family Type               56

Table 9:           Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showing Respondents’ Expression

                        on the Economic and Sexual Challenges Based Number of Children       56

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.