ABSTRACT
The study examines the causes and consequence of divorce among newly married couples in Ndokwa east local government area The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and adopted simple percentage and 4point likert mean rating in analyzing the data collected. Findings shows that factors such as financial difficulties, lack of trust, addiction to drug and alcohol abuse, and lack of proper communication etc. are various factor responsible for divorce in Ndokwa East local Government area of Delta state. It is recommended in the study that Parents should endeavour to avoid any factor that could lead to marital divorce, wellbeing of children should be considered before thinking of divorce since divorce ruin the social wellbeing, and emotional state of a child. It is further recommended that society should always discourage divorce and endeavour to help couples solve issues that could lead to marital divorce.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Marriage is an institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family.
Marriage by universal definition is the legal relationship between a husband and wife. It is a union between a man and a woman, at least so we thought until recently (Wikipedia, 2009).
Many marriages collapses like a wall immediately after the marriage has been arranged, this because most of the newly married couples seem not to be satisfied with the marriages that do not last more than five years. They break up because they seem not to be satisfied as at marriage time.
The early years of marriage are critical period for couples because the early years may be volatile and some relationship dissolve and because the early years may get the stage for future distress or healthy people functioning.
Marriages do not always last which result to divorces. “Divorce” simply put is the legal ending of a marriage. Divorce is the final termination of a marriage, cancelling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between two persons. A marriage must have legally been in existence before a divorce and consequential issues can arise. It is one of the most serious social problems in the modern world. It has become very common recently, and it affects all levels of society.
According to Meyer (2015) divorce is a legal action between married people to terminate their marriage relationship. It can be referred to as dissolution of marriage and is basically, the legal action that ends the marriage before the death of either spouse. Divorce formally dissolves a legal marriage. While married couples do not possess a constitutional or legal right to divorce, states permit divorces because to do so best serves public policy. To ensure that a particular divorce serves public policy interests, some states require a “cooling-off period,” which prescribes a time period after legal separation that spouses must bear before they can initiate divorce proceedings ( D’Arcy, 2015).
In another view by Lyness (2015) divorce happens after a husband and wife decide not to live together anymore and that they no longer want to be married to each other. They agree to sign legal papers that make them each single again and allow them to marry other people if they want to.
It might sound simple, but it is not easy for a husband and wife to decide to end a marriage. Often they spend a long time trying to solve problems before deciding to divorce. But sometimes they just can’t fix the problems and decide that a divorce is the best solution. Change is a natural part of life, but when it happens to your family, it is sometimes really hard to deal with.
The divorce process is not relatively straightforward, due to the financial and emotional and psychological consequences can be profound, especially since most divorces are normally lodged in customary Court. The other harsh reality is that the Courts have overly burdened court rolls, and parties normally have to wait a long time for their divorce matter to go to trial when their divorce is contested.
Pankaj, (2011) is of the opinion that there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of successful marriages around the world. There are various reasons that lead to divorce. With the separation of the family, many major problems arise. This further leads to stressful conditions for the husband and wife, and results into circumstances that have traumatic consequences on the child as well. The whole procedure is agonizing for everyone involved. It is not always the case that one person is unfaithful to another, that results into a divorce. Some of the things that cause a divorce can be just simple things like one of the two, or both, have lost interest in the relationship.
This phenomenon has not been adequately researched into in our society. This study sought to examine the causes and consequences of divorce among newly married couples in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Statement of the Problem
We live in an era characterized by change which is the essence of life. Family form today is not the same as the form we used to have in the earlier period of our country.
The study of causes and consequences of divorce on newly married couple can be said to be the study of social process. Catheleen and Robert (2000) observed that the traditionalists held the opinion of the wife giving up her career goals and returning to the home “where she belongs”. Some wives find the hassle of job, house and family overwhelming and they react by opting out of the superman syndrome. As a result of this and other factors, there are lots of problems confronting the modern family – economic, social, cultural, political and religious problems which may result in divorce which the newly married couples of Ndokwa East Local Government of Delta State is left out.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to find out the causes and consequences of divorce on newly married couples’ in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State. It is specifically set out to find out the;
- Cause of divorce among newly married couples in Ndokwa East Local Government Area.
- Consequences of divorce on the newly married couples
- Consequences of divorce on the children and the parents and the society.
Significance of the Study
This study will be of great important to counsellors, married people, intending couples, social workers, teachers and the society at large.
It will expose the counsellors to causes and effects of divorce. This will help them in handling divorce problems which may arise from their clients.
The study will also expose married people to effects of divorce and widen their knowledge which will help them in preserving their marriage and make more stable homes in their family.
The study will expose intending couples to causes of divorce and the knowledge will help them to make up their mind on what/who they want as life partner.
To the social workers, the research work will expose them to the causes and effects of divorce and with the knowledge of this will help them in handling divorce issues with care.
The study will help teachers to know who they will handle children from divorce since they know what they are passing through and give them adequate attention in class and in school environment as they are prone to deviant behaviours, health, psychological and emotional problems.
The society will benefit from the study as they will be exposed to causes and effects of divorce, this will reduce the consequences of divorce.
Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is delimited to the causes and consequences of newly married couples in Ndokwa East Local Government. Ndokwa East is a Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria, and their possible solution.
Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.
- What are the causes of divorce among newly married couples in Ndokwa East Local Government Area?
- What are the consequences of divorce on the newly married couples in Ndokwa East Local Government of Delta State?
- What consequences can divorce have on the children, the parents and the society?
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