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Psychosocial Factors As Predictors Of Marital Stability Among Married Women In Private Universities
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The genesis
of marriage and family can be traced to the Holy Bible. God ordained
marriage for three purposes: for companionship, pleasure and
procreation. Marriage and family is designed for the development of
human race but unfortunately many families are enduring what they ought
to enjoy (Ebiai & Bumba, 2004). Marriage is a socially sanctioned
union, typically between one man and one woman usually called husband
and wife. The type and functions of marriage vary from culture to
culture. Legally sanctioned marriages are generally conducted between
heterosexual couples, although there are a few countries that recognize
same-sex marriage (Broude, 1994). The prevailing view towards marriage
is that it is based on emotional attachment between the partners and
entered into voluntarily.
There are different types of marriages:
monogamy and polygamy. Monogamy is generally in two ways; strict
monogamy where a person is allowed only one spouse per lifetime and
serial monogamy where people can be married to more than one person – in
succession. There are also several specialized types of monogamous
marriages that involve cousins; bilateral, matrilateral, patrilateral
and parallel cousin marriages (Kalafut, 2007). Bilateral cross-cousin
marriage occurs when two men marry each other's sisters. This entwines
families very closely, and some societies continue it over several
generations. Matrilateral cross cousin marriage occurs when a man is
expected to marry his mother's brother's daughter. Continued over a
number of generations, this eventually forms a circle where everyone is
connected to each other.
Patrilateral cross-cousin marriage occurs
when a man is expected to marry his father's sister's daughter.
Continued over a number of generations, this eventually forms a circle
where everyone is connected to each other. Parallel Cousin marriage is
an interesting form of marriage encouraged in some societies between the
children of two brothers. This helps keep inheritance and property
within the family line.
The term polygamy is a Greek word meaning
"the practice of multiple marriage". Polygamy can be defined as any
"form of marriage in which a person [has] more than one spouse.
Historically, polygamy has been practiced as polygyny (one man having
more than one wife), or as polyandry (one woman having more than one
husband), or, less commonly as "group marriage" (some combination of
polygyny and polyandry). All three practices have been found, but
polygyny is by far the most common in the world (Kalafut, 2007).
A
specialized version is called sororal polygyny where the man's wives are
sisters. Polyandry is where a woman can have more than one husband at
the same time and is generally divided into fraternal polyandry (where
the husbands are brothers) and nonfraternal polyandry (where the
husbands are not related). Christianity gives room to total monogamy
whereby one man is entitled to one wife while in the Islamic world,
marriage is sanctioned between a man and up to four women. In most
societies in Africa marriage was polygynic, where a man could have
multiple wives. In such societies, multiple wives are generally
considered a sign of wealth and power.
DeGenova and Rice (2005)
reported that families are universal and yet each is unique. In an ever
changing world, families cannot remain static. Thus, families today, are
different from those of previous generations. They differ in structure,
composition, size and function. DeGenova and Rice (2005) define family
as any group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or
adoption, or any sexually expressive relationship. Families can be
described according to their structure and the relationships among the
people in them:
A Voluntary Childless Family is a couple who decide
not to have children (Some refer to this as a childfree family). This is
mostly found in the western world. In Africa, a childless family is
frowned at by the society, making it clear, that children are valued. A
Single-Parent Family consists of a parent (who may or may not have been
married) and one or more children. A Nuclear Family consists of a
father, mother, and their children. A family origin is the family into
which one is born and raised. The family consists of a child, his
parents, and his siblings. A family of procreation is the family you
establish when you give birth to your own children. An extended family
consists of a man, possibly a partner, any children you might have, and
other relatives who live in your household or nearby (this also includes
grandparents who are helping to care for grandchildren). A Blended or
Reconstituted Family is formed when a widowed or divorced person, with
or without children, remarries another person who may or may not have
children. If either husband or wife has children from a former marriage
or previous relationship, a stepfamily is formed.
A Bi-nuclear Family
is an original family divided into two families by divorce. It consists
of two nuclear families which are: the maternal nuclear family headed
by the mother and the paternal family headed by the father. The families
include whatever children were in the original family and may be headed
by a single parent or two parents if former spouses remarry (Ahrons and
Rodgers, 1987).
A polygamous family is a single family unit based on
the marriage of one person to two or more mates. Thus, if the man has
more than one wife, a polygynous family is formed. If the woman has more
than one husband, a polyandrous family is formed. Polyandry is rare,
but polygyny is practiced in African and Asian countries (DeGenova and
Rice, 2005). A Patriarchal Family is one in which the father is head of
the household, with authority over other members of the family. A
Matriarchal Family is one in which the mother is the head of the
household, with authority over other members of the family. A gay (male)
or lesbian (female) family (homosexual) consists of a couple of the
same sex who are living together and sharing sexual expression and
commitment. Some gay or lesbian families include children, usually the
offspring of one of the partners. A Cohabiting Family consists of two
people of the opposite sex who are living together and sharing sexual
expression, and who are committed to their relationship without a formal
legal marriage (DeGenova and Rice, 2005).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study examined the psychosocial factors as predictors of marital stability among married women in private universities in Ogun State. Two hundred (N=200) women were randomly selected using stratified random sampling technique. Family Assessment Device, a subscale of McMaster Family Functioning Scales and Psychosocial Factors of Marital Stability Questionnaire (PSFMSQ) were used to measure marital stability, communication, age at marriage, in-laws’ interference and marital suspicion. ... Continue reading---
