A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CULTURAL WIDOWHOOD PRACTICES AMONG THE IGBOS AND THE HAUSAS: IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELLING

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dc.contributor.authorATADO, JOSEPH CHUKS
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-06T09:29:29Z
dc.date.available2014-03-06T09:29:29Z
dc.date.issued2000-07
dc.descriptionA THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FACULTY OF EDUCATION AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA JULY, 2000en_US
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this research is to compare cultural widowhood practices among the Igbos and the Hausas. This was informed by the fact that many widows in Nigeria today have been subjected to discrimination, dehumanization and destitution as a result of cultural widowhood practices. The researcher considered the problem to be significant because the population of widows is increasing daily in the Nigerian society. Polygamy also compounds the problems of widows because when a polygamist dies, he makes several women widows at the same time. Furthermore, the plight of widows would affect adversely the academic performance as well as the moral development of their children. Besides, the plight of widows poses a serious challenge to educators and counsellors who may have to contend with pupils and students with family related problems emanating from female-headed homes. The research therefore examined the major problems encountered by Igbo and Hausa widows as a result of cultural widowhood practices, the overriding factors responsible for these widowhood rites, the psychological, social and economic effects of widowhood on Igbo and Hausa widows, the efforts of government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) towards preventing and alleviating the plight of widows in Igbo and Hausa states. The study further considered the coping strategies adopted by Igbo and Hausa widows. Survey research method was used for the study. A sample size of seven hundred Igbo and Hausa widows was selected using available sampling technique. Also a population of one hundred Igbo and Hausa community leaders was sampled with a view to ascertaining the cultural vii interpretation given to these widowhood practices by the two cultures. Data was obtained by means of questionnaire developed by the researcher and validated by experts in the fields of educational research and statistics and in the area of guidance and counselling. Two sets of questionnaire designed along a 5-point Likert Type Scale were administered to the widows and the community leaders of both ethnic groups. The first set of questionnaire, namely, Widowhood Profile Questionnaire (WPQ) was administered to Igbo and Hausa widows; the second set which is, Cultural Interpretations of Widowhood Practices was administered to community leaders of both cultures. Seven null hypotheses were formulated to guide this investigation. A t-test for independent sample was used for analysing the data collected. All the tests were carried out at the 0.05 probability level of significance. The study revealed the following: 1) That financial difficulty was the main problem of Igbo and Hausa widows. 2) That culture represented a major factor responsible for widowhood traditional practices in Igbo and Hausa communities. 3) That cultural widowhood practices did not make Igbo and Hausa widows have low self-image, feel rejected, insecure, sleepless and depressed. 4) That Igbo and Hausa widows did not lose societal respect, suffer isolation, loneliness, role confusion or reduced social status as a result of traditional widowhood practices. 5) That Igbo widows suffered more economically than their Hausa counterparts. viii 6) That the opinions of Igbo and Hausa community leaders did not differ significantly in the interpretation of the widowhood practices except for the interpretations given to the practices of: i) ritual bath, (ii) levirate, (iii) inheritance of deceased's property, (iv) scraping the hair or bearing unkept hair. 7) That both Igbo and Hausa widows did not feel the impact of government efforts towards alleviating the plight of widows in Igbo and Hausa states. 8) That non-governmental organisations have not taken systematic measures towards rehabilitating widows in Igbo and Hausa states. 9) That Igbo and Hausa widows differed significantly in their coping strategies. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were therefore made: i) The government, church and Muslim Umar, traditional rulers, and women associations should join hands together to ameliorate the conditions of widows in Igbo and Hausa states, ii) While counselling Igbo and Hausa widows, the counsellor should take cognizance of the developmental stage of each widow as this affects their ability to cope with the effects of widowhood. Finally, it was suggested that further comparative study be carried out on the plight of Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa widows. In addition it was suggested that the impact of religion, family size, and education on the effects of widowhood on widows should also be examineden_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/3368
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subjectA COMPARATIVE,en_US
dc.subjectSTUDY,en_US
dc.subjectCULTURAL,en_US
dc.subjectWIDOWHOOD,en_US
dc.subjectPRACTICES,en_US
dc.subjectIGBOS,en_US
dc.subjectHAUSAS,en_US
dc.subjectIMPLICATIONS,en_US
dc.subjectCOUNSELLINGen_US
dc.titleA COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CULTURAL WIDOWHOOD PRACTICES AMONG THE IGBOS AND THE HAUSAS: IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELLINGen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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