SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY

Divorce is the dissolution of
marital relations; in this
process marriage is
completely broken down
either in social or legal
context. The Black
Dictionary of law has defined divorce as “the legal separation of husband and wife affected by the judgment of decree
of a court and either totally dissolving the married relations or suspending its effect so far as concern the combination
of the practices (1994). Divorcees are free to remarry after divorce whereas separation may not allow it.
Divorce is nothing and in common senses it is taken easily somewhere in which a couple ends their marital relations
and starts to remarry, but it may create some vital problems in the family, like adjusting to new life.
Many divorced people remarry in Nigeria, as well as other parts of the world, and about half those who do are already
parents. The result is the creation of “blended families”, also called “stepfamilies”. For instance, in 1992, over 11
percent of all American children were living with one biological parent and one stepparent. Estimates are that a fourth
of American children will live with a stepparent before reaching the age of sixteen. By the year 2000, it has been
estimated that, stepparent is expected to outnumber traditional nuclear families (Cherlin and Furstanberg
2000). It can be argued that, perhaps the most important factor in the increase in divorce throughout the twentieth
century has been the greater social acceptance of divorce. In particular, this increased tolerance has resulted from
relaxation of negative attitudes toward divorce among various religious denominations. Although, divorce is still seen
as unfortunate, it is no longer treated as sin by most religious leaders (Gerstel 1987).
Marriage is a social and cultural phenomenon and approved social pattern where by two or more persons establish a
family. Sexual intercourse between the marital partners and subsumes reciprocal right and obligation between the
spouses and their children. Marriage is a key means that enables to make a union between a man and woman, which
may situate in different socioeconomic background. However, the forms of marriage are responsible to disruption of
marital status and lead to divorce. In the present research 63.0 percent of divorce cases were under the arranged
marriage, which may challenge to western divorce trend where, maximum cases of marriage are under love marriage
which breakdown easily. Similarly, 37.0 percent of divorce cases are found with in love marriage.
Some of the studies (Choudhary 1988, Pothan 1986, Metha 1975) on divorce based on Indian society have found the
causes of divorce leads by exogamy marriage but in this study 8.40 percent of divorce cases have found under
endogamy marriage system. Basically, low age at marriage of wife, marriage with wrong information or forced
marriage. 7.40 percent of educated women were married with illiterate men without any concerned to her; they were
actually unknown about it. In this study as a case, Mr. S.A and miss P.R were married with wrong information.
Basically that was based on their family interests. She was matrix pass where as her husband was just literate but
relatively well in economic condition. After two years of their marriage, marital relation between them was
continuously became loose and occurred divorce.
Similarly, unequal educational and economic statuses of the spouses were major cause of the divorce under arranged
marriage, which has more or less endogamy nature. Similarly, 33.0 percent of male were generally disagreed on the
process of their marriage. 7.40 percent married were exogamy, which failed to gain family support. Those marital
circumstances have created the situation that supports to breakdown their marital relation. 33.0 percent of husbands
and 60.0 percent of wives were at the age of 20 when they get married. This situation of age factor indicates that the
divorcee had immaturity to their family life. Similarly, the high age difference in husband and wife and unequal
educational status creates differ expectations from the marriage which strongly support to occur divorce gradually.so
this study focuses on the sociological analysis of marriage and divorce, using Alimosho local government of Lagos State as a case study.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The rate of divorce among couples in Nigeria and the world at large is really disturbing and alarming. Current trends
suggest that close to two thirds of new marriage will end in divorce. For instance, nearly 32 percent of couples who
divorce will do so before their fifth anniversary and about 63 percent before their tenth (Martin and Bumpass 1989
and National Centre for Health Statistics 1993). But, since the nineteenth century the proportion of marriages ended
by death of a spouse has declined, while the proportion end by divorce has increased, more or less steadily.
Divorce rates climbed in the 1960s and 1970s reached a peak in the early 1980s, and have dropped slightly since
then. Still the U.S. divorce rate remains high when compared with the rate in earlier eras and in other societies
(Whites 1990). In the same vein, in recent years, Nigeria has witnessed the high rate of divorce as a result of
urbanization and industrialization. The periods triggered to a monetary industrial economy. Thus, the extended family
that used to resolve conflicts or misunderstandings arise between couples were no longer functioning effectively like
in the past. The extended family structure eventually broke up in the process; and there was a shift towards the
nuclear family system characterized by less involvement of members in the resolution of marital conflicts.
It has been observed over the years that children are always at the receiving of marital instability. The wellbeing of
children is no longer a priority during marital instability, most children are often affected psychological due to lack to
the fact they no longer enjoy and receive affections from their parents. Study has shown that the academic
performance of students are mostly affected due to marital instability, most students who are victims of a broken
home often lack the privilege of a good education. It has been observed that most children who are involved in crime
are often from broken homes. Due to like of proper tutelage and parental guidance, most children are found involved
in theft, murder, rape, burglary, robbery, etc. these problems necessitates the need to carry out a study on the
sociological analysis of marriage and divorce.

SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE