FEAR OF HUSBAND’S DEATH AS A FACTOR OF MARITAL UNHAPPINESS AMONGST MARRIED WOMEN IN DELTA STATE – NIGERIA
OGHIAGBEPHAN, A. D. PhD
(FIPMD, MISPN, MCASSON, MASSP & MNISEP)
Department of Educational Psychology
College of Education, Warri
Delta State
Abstract
The fear of husband’s death is the prevailing fear and insecurity of the prospect that one’s husband will die sooner or later. This is a variable that may cause married women a lot of concern in marriage. Some may be afraid that if their husband dies, the man’s family may claim all the property they both laboured for many years and they may be thrown out of marriage and as such may want to acquire their own property secretly without the knowledge of their husbands. However, this paper explains the concept of fear of husband’s death, enumerates some factors that contribute to stress of fear of husband’s death as they affect marital unhappiness amongst married women in Delta State of Nigeria. The paper also discusses some theories of fear of husband’s death, fear of husband’s death and marital happiness, anxiety over widowhood rites in some communities in south-south Nigeria, components of marital happiness and causes of marital unhappiness. Finally, the paper also proffers some recommendations concerning fear of husband’s death and the maltreatment of some widows in general such as: women should try as much as possible to do things by themselves without totally depending on their husbands; all married men should be counselled properly by counsellors, lawyers, etc. to empower their wives before death will come.
Key Words: Husband’s Death, Theories, Marital Unhappiness and Widowhood Rights…………………. CONTINUE READING