Effect Of Divorce Among Hausa Community

Project and Seminar Material for Sociology

Abstract

This study was initiated to investigate the effect of divorce among the Hausa community with particular reference to Dutsin-ma local government area in Katsina state. Other specific objectives are to: examine the factors responsible for divorce among Hausas in Dutsin-Ma Local Government; examine the effects of divorce among Hausas in Dutsin-Ma Local Government and proffer possible solutions to divorce in the study area. The study employed the survey research design and the stratified random sampling technique was used in selection of respondents. A total of 60 questionnaires were distributed to the sampled population.

Findings revealed that divorce is prevalent in Dutsin-ma. moreso, findings revealed that factors responsible for divorce among Hausas in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area include poverty, unemployment, lack of mutual understanding among couples and power tussle. Furthermore, it was also revealed that effects of divorce ranges from poverty, delinquency among children, crime, hunger and starvation among victims.

The study however recommended that certain strategies should be adopted so as to enhance a divorce free society: there should be an elaborate form of mutual understanding between couples; religious and traditional ruler should engage in public enlightenment of the masses on the effects of divorce on the individual and society at large; government should implement and strengthen policies so as to improve the educational sector in the delivering of knowledge; government should enact laws and policy that will create job opportunities for the masses; citizens should undergo the process of re-socialization and re-orientation.

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background to the Study

Marriage is an important institution in every society; it provides the means for the satisfaction of sexual relation and have rules and regulations of sexual competition and interest in the society. By ordering and channeling the satisfaction of sexual urge and channeling procreative energies, marriage helps the society to reduce the potential volume of conflict and other social problems associated with sexual deviance.

Marriage is a building block upon which all families are built upon, without marriage there will be no families. Today, the institution of family is in continues decline due to increase in domestic violence and high rate of divorce. Unestimated number of people have witnessed several occurrence of divorce and in several ways and at different circumstances with sad things like domestic violence, violence against women.

In Nigeria, in recent years, marital instability is one of the problems bedeviling the society and especially rampant among the Hausa communities. This may be due to the nature and customs of Hausa people and external influence on Hausa culture.

Furthermore, cases of child marriage and other forms of marriages arranged by parents are more in Hausa communities which may cause marital instability and to some extent divorce. This divorce may lead to serious social problems such as, family dissolution, inadequate socialization which in turn may lead to deviance and delinquency.

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

To this extent, divorce is seen as a distortion to the stability of the society because is a hindrance to the socialization of children Due to neglect and incapability of the parents, the children may likely to have a low level of socialization, lack of proper education, high level of juvenile delinquency. Divorce tears young people from familiar surroundings, entangle them in bitter feuding and distance them from a parent they love. Divorce changes the course- of many children’s entire lives, causing emotional and behavioral problems and raising the risk of dropping out of school and getting into trouble with the law. II any case parents should remember that (when couples think about divorce) more harm their own well-being is at stake (Wallenstein and Lee, 1989).

The issue of divorce becomes more pronounced especially in northern part of Nigeria, Dutsin-Ma Local Government of Katsina State inclusive, as a result of this we have low level of socialization and high level of children with delinquencies as well as emotional and psychological problems. In most cases, the custody of the child goes to one parent some children might find themselves in a hostile or strange environment especially when the custodian parent remarries, problem of training the child begin to manifest themselves in a different ways and the child become a problem.

Between the Kanuri in the east and the Songhai in the west and stretching from the Niger-Benue junction to the desert south of Agades lies the home of the Hausa speaking people”, because the Hausa are not of one tribe or race, they originated from the mingling of different tribal or racial groups of negro farmers and Nomadic from the desert these people have been moulded into something like a nation by the possession of a common language and culture, but in reality, there is no Hausa race or nation. The word “Hausa” refers more to the language than the people. Today, the Hausa language is spoken over a wide area in the Sudan as far west as Timbuktu and as far east as Wadi. But in the Northern part of Nigeria the homeland of the Hausa it is spoken over eight million people (Onwubiko 1982).

The Hausa are predominantly Muslims they consider marriage as a sacred institution governed by the Sharia’a or Islamic law. The harmony in the family unit builds a better community and consequently determines the quality of life in a society (Ahmad 2001). Between January and October 2010 about 126 cases of juvenile delinquency reported to police in Dutsin-Ma 73 out of the total figure are children of. Divorced parents. While in social welfare unit Dutsin-Ma Local Government 10 cases of missing children were reported and 8 out of the 10 are children of divorced parents (Nigeria police divisional office & social welfare unit Dutsin-Ma Local Government).

1.3 Research Questions

The following questions will guide this study:

What is the nature of divorce among Hausas in Dutsin-Ma Local Government?
What are the factors responsible for divorce within the Hausa in Dutsin-Ma Local Government?
What are the possible way in which the problems of divorce among Hausas in the area can be reduced?

1.4 Aims and Objectives of the Research

The aim of this research is to examine the phenomenon of divorce among the Hausa in Dutsin-ma local government area of Katsina state. However, other specific objectives are:

To examine the factors responsible for divorce among Hausas in Dutsin-Ma Local Government.
To study and examine the effects of divorce among Hausas in Dutsin-Ma Local Government.
To come up with possible solutions to divorce for the betterment of the people in the study area.

1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study

The area of this study is Dutsin-Ma Local Government in Katsina State with it headquarter located in Dutsin-Ma. Dutsin-Ma is located 69 kilometers from the state capital, it’s size is about 5, 153 square meters Dutsin-Ma is an ancient settlement situated along north-west having Kafin-Soli, Rimaye and Tama, Kusada at the east in north. A large size of the population are farmers who produce for both economic and subsistence purpose. There are other settlers in the area such as Yoruba and Igbo who engaged in selling consumable items. There are also administrative staffs of the local government who are civil servants.

It is also too expensive to conduct a research on a large population with large sample. Therefore, because of efficiency and quality of information to be gathered this study is restricted to Dutsin-Ma Local Government alone. So, as mentioned earlier this study focus on divorce and its effects among Hausa society. Much emphasis will be laid on measures to be taken so as to reduce the problem of divorces.

1.6 Definition of Concepts

1. Family:

According to Murdock (1949), is a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes at least two of who maintain a socially approved sexual relationship and one or more children own or adopted of the sexually cohabiting adults.

Haralambos and Heald (1998), family means lives together raise children, pools its resource together with at least two of the adults enjoying sexually define relationship inline with the norms of their society.

2. Marriage:

As defined by peil (1978) is simply defined as a ceremonial or ritualized union of two or more sexually opposite persons for psychological and social conveniences in which offspring (children) are recognied as belonging to the parents.

3. Divorce:

The Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, define divorce or the (dissolution of marriage) is a final termination of a marital union, cancelling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties. In most countries divorce requires the sanctions of a court or other authority in a legal process. The legal process for divorce may also involve ‘issues of spousal support, child custody, child support distribution of property and division of debt.

Chapter Five

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations.

5.0 Introduction

This chapter dwells on the last section of this research work, the researcher aim at providing a brief summary of the preceding findings, conclusion and make appropriate recommendation on the topic under study (the effects of divorce among Hausa community in Dutsin-Ma Local Government) of Katsina State.

5.1 Summary

The aim of this research work is to examine the causes and effects of divorce among Hausas community in Dutsin-Ma Local Government area of Katsina State. Having concluded the research the summary of the chapters can be seen as follows:

Chapter one entails introduction of the topic under study, statement of the problems, research questions, objectives of the research, scope and limitation of the study area, research hypothesis and lastly definition of concepts.
Chapter two of the research contains review of related literature, and theoretical frame work were conflict, symbolic and functionalist perspectives used as relevant theories in this research.
Chapter three is concerned with the methodology, which are the methods to be adopted in the collection of data from the field which will be useful in this research work (Effects of divorce among Hausa community: A case study of Dutsin-ma Local Government Area in Katsina state). Subsection under the chapter include research design, study area, study population, sample and sampling procedure, method of data collection and method of data analysis.
Chapter four entails the analysis and interpretation of data collected from the field through the use of questionnaires.
Chapter five comprises of the summary, conclusion and recommendations of the study.

5.2 Conclusion

This is based on the analysis and findings, in this research work the researcher concluded that various factors are responsible for divorce among Hausa community in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area. Such as poverty, unemployment, lack of mutual understanding among couples and couples of the same educational background struggling for authority in the family, failure to abide by religious injunctions. As such if this problem can be solved, the cases of divorce can be reduced among Hausa community in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area.

5.3 Recommendations

This research work has examined several factors that is responsible for divorce among Hausa community in Dutsin-Ma as such it is of a great importance to make the following recommendations:

There should be an elaborate form of mutual understanding between couples in respect to their relationship or marriage. Couples should be fully taught on how they can love and be loved by others.

More so, there is a need for traditional rulers and religious leaders to come-up with a kind of mobilization policy and enlightenment campaign in the community to discourage divorce in the community.

Similarly, the government should implement and strengthen policies on the educational sector. This will prepare the individuals with adequate skills and training that will help them to be self-reliant.

Additionally, the government should try as much as possible to create job opportunities to all members of the society especially the youths. This will help them earn a living and live responsible. The government should also enact laws and policy that will help sustain this plans and sanction any form of corrupt practices that will jeopardize the future of the individuals who are employed.

Finally, individuals in the society should be properly undergo the process of socialization and re-orientation so as to effectively participate in the society. Parents also on their own should try as much as possible to effective groom their children in a proper way.

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